The Blackness 3: Cloudy Weather
by Fence Surfin
Summary: Third and last part for The Blackness. Nico and Percy are learning what it means to be in a relationship, plus a new adventure and monsters and such.
1. Chapter 1

Percy walked across the grass. Wet leaves stuck to his shoes as he made his way over to where he knew his boyfriend was. The air smelled like Spring, but the sky was gray with impending storm. Percy zipped up his jacket to try and feel warm. When he got to the mausoleum he almost didn't see his lover laying there on the roof, but his black jeans contrasted just enough with the worn gray marble to make him visible. As Percy approached he got that feeling in his stomach that he always did when Nico looked like that. He figured he had some kind of PTSD from finding him dead. Who could blame him?

Nico was laying on his back on top of his family's small mausoleum. One leg was straight, but the other had fallen somewhat to the side. His arms were down at his sides, his hands limp and pale. The worst part were his eyes. They were black and lifeless, staring into the void. Every time he found him this way Percy had to tell himself that his lover was just spacing out, but in the back of his mind there was always a fear that the other man would never blink and smile at him again.

"Nico." Percy said quietly, reaching up and smacking the cold, bloodless hand with his own, "Come on, you'll catch a cold."

After a moment the dark eyes looked down at the other man and then blinked. "Hey."

"Hey. How are you?" Percy asked quietly. Nico had been quiet all day and then had disappeared. Luckily Percy knew him well enough to always be able to find him.

Nico sat up cross-legged on his perch, "Lovely. Come here, mio amore." he put his hand out, which Percy took almost without thinking, it was such a routine anymore. He hoisted up onto the mausoleum and got behind his lover, opening his jacket and wrapping the smaller body within it. "Mmm, caldo." Nico said, snuggling against the warm body behind him. They sat there quietly, looking across the graveyard. The gray clouds kept their view limited; no sunset to watch this time.

"We have to get ready for lunch with Annabeth." Percy said quietly. He always felt compelled to be quiet in cemeteries.

"Do you need me to take you home, or do you have something at my place?"

Percy frowned, knowing Nico couldn't see it. Almost everything he owned was at Nico's house now. He had been living there for nearly a year, and Nico still called it 'his' place. Percy wondered if it would ever be 'their' place. He knew Nico wouldn't get a new place because this one was right above his jewelry store, but Percy was starting to wonder if Nico really wanted him there. He had a side in the closet for his shirts, and the two top drawers of Nico's dresser for his socks and pants. The juice he liked was on the same side of the shelf with the other food he liked in the fridge. Nothing of theirs was "mingled". Percy sighed. They were like roommates who slept in the same bed, and even in that they each had their own side.

"Percy?"

"Hmm?" Percy's mind had wandered and forgotten the question.

"Do you have something nice to wear at my place?"

"All of my stuff is at your place."

Nico yawned, ignoring the emphasis Percy had put on YOUR place, "Do you need me to wash or iron anything?"

"No." he gave up on his grudge and pulled Nico closer. The other man was good to him. Why dwell on silly little things?

Nico turned to look at his lover. He could tell that something was bothering the other man. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing." Percy lied, "I think I'm just tired." That wasn't really a lie. He did tend to let more things get to him when he was tired, and today had been a long day.

The smaller man cupped Percy's face, "We don't have to go to lunch if you don't want to."

Percy's mouth curved in a small smile, "Aren't I the one who usually says that?"

"Yeah, but this time you're the pouty one."

The taller man shrugged, "Well, andiamo then. I want to shower before I put nice clothes on." he started to get up.

"Oh Percy, you know how much I love it when you speak Italian." Nico said, and Percy wondered if the smaller man was making fun of him. It was something in his voice.

"Dork." Percy shrugged again as they slid off of the burial chamber, "Do you want to walk home, or find a shadow?"

"Hmm... I think we should get home as quickly as possible." Nico said, brushing dead leaves from his pants.

Percy's mouth curled into a mischievious smile as he got an idea. The other man picked up on this and gave him a questioning look.

"Race?" Percy asked, feeling the competitor in him revving up. His lover tried to play it cool, but he could tell that the other man's sense of competition had been switched on as well.

"Race." Nico agreed before snatching his bag and taking off.

"No fair!" Percy laughed before running behind his boyfriend.

Once home both men leaned against the doorframe as they caught their breath . There was chipping paint breaking off and falling into their clothing, but neither noticed. Nico moved and started to make his way toward something and Percy kept his eyes on the doorframe. He knew what the other one was doing, and he didn't like it.

"I'll be right back." Nico said as he pulled a lighter out of his pants and then crossed to the balcony near the kitchen. Percy listened as the other man opened the double doors and then closed them. In the lonely silence the son of Poseidon could feel the thoughts creeping up on him. The doubts, the worries, everything. He pushed them away and stood up, looking for a distraction. He paced the apartment, occasionally glancing at Nico's silhouette behind the long curtains. He looked at Nico's desk, the map he had once snooped at long forgotten under piles of other papers and various jewelry tinkering equipment. Percy picked up a CD from the nearby music system and read the front and back, and then put it down. After a while he noticed that Nico had been outside for a long time, and Percy began to worry, so he reluctantly went outside to join his lover on the balcony. Nico looked backward at him when he closed the door behind him and motioned him over.

"Sorry, I just got preoccupied with watching people." the smaller man said, gesturing to the people on the street below. Occasionally one would glance up, but wasn't really looking at them.

Percy followed Nico's gaze for a moment, and then his focus turned to the ash tray balancing on the ledge of the railing surrounding the balcony. It was a brazen red, relatively shapeless and full of gray ashes. The fresh remains of Nico's usual post-exertion cigarette were squashed on the side of the dish nearest him. Percy wanted to push the tray off of the balcony and watch it shatter on the street below, or at least once again plead with Nico to quit. It would just be the same conversation that they had many times over; Percy would mention that he wished the son of Hades had never picked the habit up again, and Nico would say that he wished the same thing, mutter about damn Europeans, and run his fingers through the flame of his lighter as he quietly said that he would quit when it was time to. Percy was never sure of what his boyfriend meant, but he was afraid to ask about it. He hated to think of Nico getting diseases because of his bad habit, but some days it was just easier not to fight him.

Nico's arm wrapped around the taller man's waist for a moment, pulling him closer, then he ran his hand across Percy's back. The other man couldn't help it as he smiled. Despite everything going on in their relationship, Nico still had a way of making him feel loved. The other man kissed Percy's shoulder as he curled against his side before whispering, "I'm going to start getting ready." He kissed Percy's cheek and re-entered the house. When Percy got inside he looked at the clock above Nico's desk. He looked down at his watch, which still had the time of his former US residence.

"We're going to be late for lunch." Percy said, knowing Nico would hear him wherever he was in the studio apartment.

"Better double up in the shower, then." Nico winked at him as he carried a hanger full of an outfit into the bathroom. Percy didn't bother mentioning that he wasn't in the mood. He was just happy that Nico still seemed to want him around in some way. He saw that Nico had put out an outfit for him on the bedspread. He didn't recognize the shirt. Another new thing. Nico did that from time to time. Usually when there was tension between the two. Percy didn't mind getting surprised, but he didn't like feeling like Nico was trying to buy his affection.

He heard the shower start and stripped down to join the other man. He may not have been in the mood for anything sexy, but Nico was right about saving some time by doubling up. When he stepped into the shower he looked at Nico's soaked form from behind. The black marks Nemesis had left on him had never faded. Percy took in a breath as he looked at Nico's ribs and spine which were much too evident beneath his skin. He knew Nico hated when Percy said anything about it, but he couldn't help it. He wrapped his arms around the other man from behind.

"Good thing we're going to lunch. You're way too skinny, Nico."

Nico easily pushed the arms off of his form in the damp heat of the shower, "Yeah." was all he said before picking up the shampoo and turning around, "Let me wash your hair." Percy obeyed, bending down to give the other man an easier time of running his fingers through his hair. Soon Nico pushed the knob to turn the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping Percy's shoulders in it before getting one for himself.

x.x.x

Nico inhaled another hit of hot, acrid smoke and felt his body calm down as he watched the people below. It was early morning, so they were just setting up their stores and markets. It was Saturday, so he didn't have to work until later, if he chose to open at all. He could have been sleeping in, but he hadn't slept all night, so what good would tossing and turning for an extra few minutes do? Last night had been rough; Annabeth was always trying to fix him and Percy in some way, and he had grown weary of her criticisms; but it was more than that which was bothering Nico. He knew something was wrong between him and Percy and he didn't know how to fix it. The son of Hades wasn't even certain what the problem was. There hadn't been any particularly dramatic event that had led to the strange void between the two men. They had both been busy; Nico with the shop and Percy doing whatever it was he did. Nico sighed. He didn't even know how Percy spent his time when they weren't together. When his cigarette was done he put the carton and his lighter back into his pocket and then reached for his cane. He hated the days when he had to use it. He felt so weak. As Nico re-entered his apartment he looked over to the bedroom, where Percy lay sleeping. He wanted to go over and kiss the boy, but he needed to make breakfast and the journey between both places seemed so far when Nico wasn't feeling his best. He could kiss Percy after breakfast was made.

"Hey." Nico heard the quiet greeting behind him as he watched for the light on the waffle iron to change and tell him that the first waffle was ready. He felt arms around him and then a kiss on his neck. "Are you feeling okay today?"

"Just having an old day." Nico said, moving his head to allow Percy to rest his head on the smaller man's shoulder, "It'll work out once I'm downstairs."

"Okay." The arms left the smaller body as Percy went over to the fridge to pour juice for the two of them. He always meant to wake up before Nico and surprise him with breakfast sometimes, but the other man always seemed to be awake before him. They had their breakfast in relative silence until Nico spoke.

"Would you like to come with me into town today?" he asked as he started to remove the dirty dishes from the table.

Percy liked it when they went into town together. It made him feel normal, "Of course. Are we going anywhere special?"

"I just have to pick up a few things from the market, so not really."

The son of Poseidon watched Nico grip his cane as he hobbled over to the sink with the dishes. He got up and gathered the rest of the dishes and cleaned the table. He wanted to ask the other man if he was going to be okay walking around all day, but knew Nico hated acknowledging his weakened state in any way. Instead he just quietly helped in any way he could, assisting Nico with getting dressed and opening the door for him. As they descended the stairs Percy had to force himself not to just pick the guy up and carry him down. Instead he just watched from the bottom of the stairs as Nico slowly and stiffly made his way down.

As the day went on Nico perked up a little bit. The sun helped warm his body and soften his joints. Percy was happy to be spending time with Nico, even if all he was doing was picking which brand of canned corn was better. He liked doing mundane things; it gave him a sense of normalcy that meant everything was going to be okay. He carried most of the bags out of the grocery store and as they walked home Nico suddenly stopped and turned left into an antique shop.

"Sorry," he said when Percy came in struggling with the bags in such a small place, "I just had the weird urge to walk into this place."

They had been to the antique place before, but it seemed that there were a lot of new things. Percy adjusted the bags on his arms and watched Nico pawing through old photographs. He watched as the smaller man picked one up and changed his expression. The son of Poseidon couldn't read it, but he could tell that it wasn't good. Nico took several photos out of the pile and quickly went over to the counter. He and the man at the counter exchanged words in rapid Italian, so Percy really didn't catch any of it. The next thing he knew Nico was quickly leaving the store with a brown paper bag full of old photos.

"Nico, what's going on?" Percy asked once he was outside and had caught up with his boyfriend.

"Nothing. I'll show you when we get home." Nico said and then was quiet the rest of the way home. He stayed quiet and just sat at the kitchen table looking at the photographs while Percy put the groceries away, knowing the other man needed a moment to himself for whatever it was he was up to. Finally when that was done Percy went over to the kitchen table to find out what was going on. He picked up a photo and Nico didn't protest.

"Holy shit, is that you?" Percy asked. The photo had a little boy holding a puppy and more grimacing than smiling at the camera. The photo was black and white and whethered, but Percy would know those dark eyes anywhere.

"I think so. Look here, this looks like me and Bianca." he handed Percy another photo. This one had a little boy and a little girl on a beach, playing and having fun. "It is us. Look at this one." Percy looked at the next photo Nico handed him. It was the little boy, the puppy, and a beautiful woman standing behind them. Percy felt the atmosphere in the room change. Nico's mother.

"I didn't know you liked dogs." Percy said dumbly; he really wasn't sure of what to say in this situation.

"I don't. I think it-" Nico looked like he was struggling to remember, "I think it belonged to one of my cousins and my mom loved it so much and wanted pictures of it, but it wouldn't hold still, so I held it for her. I don't even remember if that dog was a boy or a girl, or even its name."

Percy sat down at the table, "So where did these pictures come from? I mean, how did they end up in that antique place?"

Nico never took his eyes off of the photos strewn on the table, "The guy at the counter said that they were in some old lady's basement. The name was familiar, but the last name wasn't. I think she was maybe one of my younger cousins, but that would make her awfully old."

It had never occured to Percy that Nico had any other family other than his sister and his mother. As he looked at Nico studying the old photographs he thought of how hard it must be for the man to know that everyone he knew back then was long dead and gone. He almost didn't notice that Nico had continued talking.

"Anyway, her kids were going through her house and found all of those pictures. They didn't recognize anyone, so they took them down to that antique place for some cash. The guy at the counter said he generally doesn't keep all of the pictures people sell to him, but he recognized the mother and two kids. I guess we used to live around here or something. Anyway, his parents used to tell him stories about how this hotel got blown up and inside they found the mother in the pictures, but never the children. The kids' bodies were never found." Nico paused to get control over his emotions and Percy reached out to rub the smaller man's back, "He kept looking at me like he knew, Percy, but he didn't say anything. I guess nobody makes the connection with my name. They probably just think I'm a distant cousin or something. I think he knew though, Percy, I think he knew."

Percy moved out of his chair to hold his lover tightly, "Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's a demigod or something and knows what happened with me."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter," Nico said, straightening up and pushing the photographs into a stack, "I just couldn't believe that I found these. There were more, but I just grabbed a handful."

"Do you mind if I look at them?" Percy asked. He just liked any kind of insight into his cryptic boyfriend that he could get.

Nico stood up stiffly, "Go for it. I'll be at my desk." he surprised Percy with a peck on the lips before he crossed the room to sit at his desk.

The son of Poseidon carefully looked over each photo. There were about twenty of them, and most seemed to be from the same time period. It seemed as though Nico and his family were visiting their cousins, and had gone down to the beach for a weekend. Percy almost laughed out loud when he saw a picture of Nico crying as one of his female cousins kissed his cheek. There was also a really sweet one of him with his mother and sister. All three looked like they were in their Sunday best. In fact, as Percy looked at the photo he noticed a church in the background. That was when a thought occured to him and he walked over to the desk Nico was sitting at, wearing strange glasses and squinting at a jewel.

"Hey Nico, can I ask you something?"

"I don't know, can you?" Nico said, not looking away from what he was doing.

Percy rolled his eyes, "May I?"

Nico took off the strange glasses and set the jewel down, "Yeah."

"Did you go to church when you were younger?"

"Yes. I was raised Catholic. I know that's kind of funny because of who my dad is, but that's how my mom was raised, so that's how she raised us."

"Oh." Percy knew religion was an edgy topic with anyone. He really didn't care either way, he just found it interesting.

"Yeah. That's what made it so hard for my mom. I mean, essentially she was an unwed mother, which is a big no-no in almost any culture. We had to live with our grandparents because she couldn't afford to live on her own back then. People weren't keen on hiring someone who had not only one, but two children out of wedlock."

"Did any of your family ever meet your dad?"

"He showed up once to something after my mom begged him, just to give the father of her children a face. I can't imagine it helped much to meet a Godless traveling salesman or whatever he must have told them he was."

"I'm sorry, Nico. It must have been really hard going through all of that."

Nico shrugged, "I was super young, and now I really don't remember much. I just know my family was really tough on my mom. I wonder how they felt after..." he looked away from Percy and looked at something on his desk.

"Still. I bet it's all hard to think about." Percy offered, feeling pretty useless at remedying Nico's pained expression. He looked at what Nico was looking at on the desk. It was the old map. "We haven't been on an adventure in a while." he offered.

"Yeah." Nico said quietly, sounding far away in thought. He stared at the map, tracing the lines with his fingers. He looked away from it, "Percy?"

"Hmm?"

Nico looked away, "Nothing. I just love you, that's all."

"I love you too, Nico."

There was a feeling in the air that would have allowed them to talk about their problems, but instead Nico put the map in a drawer and turned back to his previous activity. Percy took the hint that the conversation was over and went back to the old pictures. He wondered if Nico wanted to go get the rest of them. He thought about going back to town himself and picking up an album or something to put them in, but he wasn't sure if Nico wanted to keep the photos or not. After thoroughly observing each one Percy put them back into the brown paper bag and put a rubber band around the bundle. He placed the bundle on Nico's desk and kissed the smaller man's forehead before telling him he would be back and then left the house.

x.x.x

"So you think he is getting worse?" Antonio asked before casting out his fishing line. He was sitting on the edge of his houseboat at the shipyard near the jewelry shop. Percy had come into a sort of friendship with the guy, though he couldn't shake the feeling that Antonio would gladly take his place in Nico's life given the chance.

"It's hard to say. Hey, could you not do that please?" Percy did not need to see one of his fish friends on Antonio's hook.

The other man gave a knowning smile and then wound up his fishing line, "Does this mean you are going to buy me dinner?" he winked.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Horny European."

Antonio turned around and stepped fully into the boat, "So you are worried about Nico?"

"Yes. I'm not sure if he's getting worse or if it's just part of everything else that's turning to crap."

"Trouble in the paradise?" Antonio was already aware that Percy and Nico didn't seem to be as together as they used to be, given Percy's frequent visits to the water by himself.

"I'm trying not to talk about mine and Nico's problems, but I'm just worried that something is going on with him. Something... not normal."

"Of course. He is not in the right time."

"So is he aging more or is his soul the same age and he's just feeling it more?"

"I do not know. I can ask Soter, but we are just protectors. We do not really know things."

"Well, your dad's been around a while so maybe he might know something. Anyway, I need to go. I'm going to try to make dinner for Nico tonight."

"I will talk to my father and tell you what I know next time I see you."

"Ok. Thanks, Antonio."

Antonio smiled, "Nico is special to us."

"Yeah..." Percy felt a tiny bit of protectiveness about his boyfriend, but ultimately he knew that Antonio cared for them both as friends. They said their goodbyes and then Percy got off of the houseboat. He lingered at the shipyard. Being so near the water calmed him. Something kept nagging him at the back of his mind, though. It wasn't just thinking about what was wrong in his relationship; he genuinely felt like something was wrong. The feeling started to grow and soon he found himself running home.

"Nico?" he was calling as he ran up the stairs. He called his lover's name again as he opened the door, "Nico?" He saw a black mass below the kitchen table. Nico was laying on the ground, reaching out a pale arm.

"Percy." he said quietly before wincing. The other man looked and saw that Nico's lip was split open and bleeding profusely.

"Holy shit Nico, you probably need stitches." he got up and wet a washcloth. He helped Nico to sit up and started to clean his lover up as Nico winced. The split in Nico's lip was deep and Percy was basically making a bigger mess than he was cleaning, so he pressed the cloth to the wound and told Nico to hold it there while he grabbed the first aid kit.

"I'll heal, Percy. I'll be fine." he winced as he pulled the cloth away from his mouth. Blood had congealed in the fibers of the cloth and ripped the wound open anew. Nico used his fingers to keep the wound closed. Percy watched. It could take hours for the split in Nico's lip to heal. Percy returned with the first aid kit. He wasn't really sure of what to use, but he picked out some ointment and some tape. After seeing what the cloth had done to the boy he was smart enough not to try and stick guaze on the wound. He used the still damp cloth to clean more of the dried blood around the tear, then he dabbed it with just a little ointment before sticking a piece of tape over the whole thing. He could feel his boyfriend's dark eyes on him and when he finished he looked into them and kissed Nico's forehead.

"So how did this happen?" Percy asked after making sure Nico was seated on the couch and then putting the rest of the first aid kit away.

Nico spoke carefully so as not to dislodge Percy's tape on his wound, "I went over to get something to drink when I just felt dizzy. I guess I passed out and smacked my face on a chair on the way down or something."

Percy held Nico closer to himself. That story was all too familiar from his grandmother before they had to put her in a home. The son of Poseidon didn't know what to say. Would Nico get to the point where he couldn't leave him at home alone? He felt Nico's body shudder.

"Percy, I'm so out of time. I wonder what my life expectancy really is. I don't know if my body is really feeling its age or if it's just my soul causing psychosomatic symptoms, or what it is, but I'm ready to die, Percy. I think I'm ready to just be done."

"Don't talk like that." Percy said quietly as a creeping guilt settled inside of himself. Maybe he and Hades just should have let Nico stay dead. "Tomorrow will be a good day and you'll feel like yourself again."

Nico sniffed. He felt incredibly guilty for the selfish thing he had just said. He wanted to tell Percy that no, he hadn't felt like himself in a long time, but his lover had said it so sweetly that even he almost believed it. Instead he just held Percy close, suddenly feeling very tired. He closed his eyes just for a rest.

When he opened his eyes he was laying on the couch with a blanket over him. He could hear Percy in the kitchen and carefully got up to investigate, grateful that Percy had been so kind as to leave his cane by the couch so that he could hobble over.

"Hey Nico, come here." Percy said as the smaller man stepped into the kitchen. He motioned Nico over to the kitchen sink filled with fresh hot water for the dishes. He dipped his hand in the water and touched the wound on Nico's lip with the other, "I don't know why I didn't think of this before." he said before healing Nico's wound. It did leave behind a tiny scar, but you'd only notice it if you already knew it was there.

Nico carefully peeled of the medical tape from his face, "You forgot because you were too busy worrying about me."

"Of course. I want to keep you around, you know." Percy said, turning back to the stove. He was subtly addressing Nico's semi-suicidal statement from earlier. Nico hugged him from behind and peeked at what Percy was making. Omelette. He smiled behind his lover. Percy was so cute when he tried to cook.

After dinner Nico put the rest of the dishes into the water and crossed the room to go outside and smoke before he finished washing them. He could feel Percy's eyes on him and a different guilty feeling overtook him as he purposely ignored his boyfriend and went out to the balcony.

Percy watched Nico go outside. He hated Nico's smoking so much! Now he at least thought he understood why his boyfriend did it; it was another form of suicide, just a much slower one. "When it was time to." Nico always said about quitting. Did that mean when he was dead, or when he no longer wanted to die? Percy found himself walking toward the balcony. He had to take a stand or nothing would change. He moved to stand next to Nico and looked down at the red ashtray. Everything suddenly felt like slow motion. Percy looked at Nico, who slowly turned his head to look at his boyfriend. His expression changed as if he knew what Percy was about to do. Sea green eyes looked away from the black ones to focus on the red dish again. He pushed it with both hands. Both watched as the ashtray fell and shattered on the street. The ash spread across the broken red pieces, looking like a bloody black and red mess. The three sole people on the street all looked up and Percy moved away from the balcony and looked at Nico. The smaller man was yelling at him, gesturing at the street and then at Percy, but it was like the son of Poseidon couldn't hear anything. It all sounded muffled. He followed Nico into the house, where Nico was grabbing the broom and dustpan from the kitchen. The front door closed and when Percy was alone he could hear everything clearly and felt like things had gone back to normal speed. He walked out to the balcony and looked down into the street, where Nico was sweeping up the remains of his ashtray and was apologizing in Italian to those who had witnessed the accident. Percy went back inside. He was nervous like he used to get when he knew his report card had come and he walked home from school knowing he'd be in big trouble. He plunged his hands into the dishwater and began scrubbing the dishes to distract himself. He jumped when he heard the front door open and close.

"Percy..." Nico said, putting the broom and dustpan away. The son of Poseidon looked away and became really interested in a bit of cheese stuck to one of the dishes. "Percy, we need to talk."

Feeling the other man step up next to him, Percy reluctantly looked at his boyfriend. He didn't look angry, just concerned. "Hmm?" Percy asked sheepishly.

"Why did you do that? Someone could have been hurt."

Percy looked away, "You know why I did it."

Nico sighed, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"I really do wish that you would stop, though." Percy turned away from the dishes to look at his boyfriend.

"I'm going to try to quit. You have to understand that it's going to take some time, though."

Percy was glad that Nico was going to try and quit. He trusted that he was telling the truth. He wished his boyfriend could just go cold turkey, but he knew it was more difficult than that. "I'll help you however I can."

"Seriously Percy, I don't deserve you."

"I know, but I kind of love you, so there's nothing you can do about it."

Nico smiled, "Do you want any help with the dishes?"

Percy smiled too. They were okay for now, "No. Go get some rest. It's been a weird day."

"Okay." Nico grabbed his cane and left the kitchen. He got ready for bed and was just laying down when Percy finished in the kitchen. Later he listened to his boyfriend getting ready for bed. He really should treat Percy better, he thought. Nico was just so busy with his life that sometimes he forgot to ask how Percy was doing in the midst of it all.

x.x.x

Sunday morning Percy woke up alone. It was becoming more and more common. For weeks Percy had told himself that it was because Nico had to wake up early to open the store, and he himself wasn't a morning person. He ignored the fact that Nico used to lay awake in bed until Percy awoke so that they could get out of bed together. Usually his boyfriend could be found in the kitchen, or in the shower, or if Percy had overslept he would be down in the store already. This time he found Nico outside on the balcony. He was sitting on the platform, looking through the bars of the railing. He was only in boxers and when he turned to Percy the other man noticed that Nico's lips were blue.

"Nico." Percy said, crouching down and pulling his lover close, rubbing his skin to warm him up. Nico struggled a little and Percy saw tears fall from his tightly shut eyes, "Nico, what's wrong?"

The smaller man continued to struggle until Percy squeezed him almost painfully. When he relaxed Percy also did and he took in a breath, "I'm tired. I'm just tired."

"Tired of me?" the question came out before Percy could stop it. His heart raced as Nico turned to look at him. The son of Hades gave him a little side smile and kissed his forehead before standing up and walking into the apartment. Percy just sat there. His heart had broken a little. All this time he'd been able to push the thoughts and feelings away before anything could happen, but this time Nico's reaction had been just enough. Percy swallowed to try and make the feeling go away, already telling himself that Nico hadn't said yes, and that everything was going to be fine. He was just regaining control over his emotions when Nico opened the door.

"Are you okay?"

Percy wanted to tell Nico that no, things were not okay, but he was afraid that if they got into that conversation that they might decide to end things, and he'd rather deal with their relationship as it was now instead of losing Nico yet again. He forced a smile and said, "Yeah. Still just waking up."

Nico held out his hand, "Well come in before you get sick." Percy took the cold hand offered him and stood up. The motion brought his face right up to Nico's and he paused. Nico just gave another half smile and kissed him, "Come on, dork."

The rest of the day had a strange energy. Nico was even more quiet than usual, and Percy felt like he was just kind of floating around the house. He didn't even realize how much time had passed that day until Nico was pulling the covers up over his shoulders. Maybe he was getting sick.

3:12. Percy's bleary eyes read the alarm clock on his side of the bed. He had felt Nico leave the bed and now he could hear him rummaging through drawers and quickly running toward his desk and grabbing something. When he returned to the bedroom he placed a backpack on the bed.

"Nico, it's 3 in the morning. What are you doing?" Percy asked, sitting up.

"I just got an idea." Nico said, zipping up the backpack, which was now stuffed with clothing and supplies.

"What?"

Nico crawled up onto the bed and straddled the other man's legs, "Do you want to go on an adventure with me, Percy?"

"Duh. What adventure?"

"We're going to go find Hebe."

"You mean-?"

"Yep." Nico kissed Percy, "We're going to find it."

Percy smiled, excited for another adventure after so long, "Wait, what about the price? There's always a catch."

"I'm not afraid of death, and how bad could the price really be?"

"Okay..."

Nico noted the worry in Percy's voice, "I can always say no, Percy."

"Okay." Percy said, less afraid. Nico moved off of his legs and began to get Percy's clothing out, "Nico, come back to bed. I'll pack when the sun's up."

Nico paused. He really wanted to get everything ready and leave now, especially because his body felt so good just then. In the darkness he could see how tired Percy really was and his excitement calmed a little. He climbed back into bed and Percy held him closely, falling asleep quickly. Nico took more time to be able to even shut his eyes, but finally he managed to fall asleep as well.

x.x.x

Percy woke up feeling heavy. He opened his eyes and saw a head of black hair resting on his chest. It had been so long since the last time he had woken up to this view that he thought it was a dream. Nico's arm was stretched over the other man's torso in a limp hold and Percy put his own arm over the paler one. Nico stirred and held Percy closer, but otherwise didn't respond. Percy didn't want this moment to stop, but he wondered what time it was. It was Monday; Nico had to work. Before he could look at his clock Nico sighed.

"So warm. Are you sure today isn't Saturday?" Nico mumbled. The vibration of Nico's throat against Percy's ribs tickled and the son of Poseidon had to fight the urge to laugh.

"Unfortunately it is Monday." Percy said, petting the smaller man's head and back.

"Che ora è?"

Percy finally looked at the clock, "Seven fourteen."

Nico relaxed, "Good. I still have fourty-six minutes."

"So when are we going on our adventure?" Percy asked, now remembering Nico's mad dash to pack in the middle of the night.

The smaller man sat up and ran a hand up and down Percy's chest, "When I get to work I'll ask Antonio and his dad if they'd be cool watching the store for a while. I don't know how long this trip is going to be, and I'd hate to close the store completely and lose business..." he continued talking, mostly to himself, figuring out the numbers involved and everything he had to do to prepare. Sea green eyes simply watched him. It was always amusing when Nico started talking business. He may as well have been speaking another language as far as Percy was concerned. It was nice to see his boyfriend acting more like himself than he had for weeks. Nico moved to get up and Percy felt empty. "You don't have to pack until I have a specific day we're leaving if you don't want to." Percy just nodded as he got out of bed. "I'm actually really excited about this." Nico said, stretching.

"What about your bad days? What do we do then?"

Nico pressed his lips into a line as he thought, "We'll just have to get there when we get there." he finally said.

"Okay..."

"Trust Percy, trust."

Percy hated when Nico said that. He had picked it up from some Jamaican they had met at a party Beriet had. It was the guy's catch phrase and the son of Poseidon had been sick of it by the end of the night, only to discover that Nico had gotten it into his vocabulary indefinitely. Percy didn't just hate it because it annoyed him; he hated it because his boyfriend used it as a phrase of dismissal. It was his way of saying, "Shut up and stop worrying." Nico noticed the change in his lover's energy and walked over to hug him, "I'll be okay, Percy. There's nothing we can do but try and figure things out."

"Okay. I trust you." Nico was right; they always figured things out. It didn't always turn out for the better, but they always had each other. Percy almost laughed. When had his thoughts started sounding like a bad romance novel?

"What's funny?" Nico had noticed Percy's smile.

"Nothing. I'm just excited too."

"Yay!" Nico pecked Percy again and disappeared into his closet, "Does purple make me look too gay?" he asked as he came out with a violet dress shirt.

"Why do you care?" Percy asked. Nico had never worried about something like that.

"I guess I don't. I just worry that some potential customers won't buy from me if I'm too... swishy."

"Really Nico?"

The son of Hades blushed, "Okay, so the other day there was this dude looking for something for his wife and he asked what my girlfriend likes and I never lie so I told him I have a boyfriend and he got all weird and said that he was going to look elsewhere."

"Well he sucks and missed out because you're amazing and so is your jewelry." Percy kissed Nico's forehead, "And as far as being too swishy, you're just fine. I kind of like how you can go from persnickety jewelry shop guy to badass monster slayer to loving husband making me dinner all in one day. If you swish I don't notice and even if you do that's fine because that's you."

Nico pouted, "Crap Percy, are you just like going for the most perfect boyfriend award, or what?"

Percy blushed, "I mean it. What's with the pout, though?"

"Nothing... did you call me persnickety, by the way?"

"Maybe. I mean, you do pay a lot of attention to every single detail about your work, and I do notice that you act kind of stuck up with certain customers. I know it's just an act for them though."

Nico laughed. He wanted to tell Percy that he was sorry he wasn't as great of a boyfriend to the son of Poseidon as Percy was to him. He wanted to tell him all of the reasons why and fix them right then and there, but he didn't have the time before work, and they seemed okay for the moment, so he just smiled and walked with the shirt over to the bathroom. He wanted Percy to follow him and join him in the shower for a quickie, but lately it had seemed like more of a chore to his boyfriend than something fun, so instead he left the door unlocked just in case and then went about getting ready for work. As he showered he wondered what it was that Percy did all day. Sometimes he wouldn't be home when Nico came upstairs for lunch or after work. He was never out later than 7, so Nico didn't worry too much about it being another guy, not that the thought didn't pass his brain. Percy was slowly learning the language of the city, not quickly enough to be taking classes or anything. He often bought his own things. Maybe he had a job? Still, the language barrier was a problem. When Nico asked him about his daily activities Percy would just shrug and say that he was exploring the city.

"Nico, are you okay?"

Percy's voice brought Nico from his thoughts. The water was running cold on his skin. How long had he been spacing out? "Yeah. Just tired." He really wanted a cigarette, but he was trying to wait until he had opened the shop. He really did want to try quitting.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Percy was clinging to the shower curtain as he peered in at his boyfriend. He looked as if he were hoping for Nico to need his help.

"No. I'm fine. Just withdrawls probably."

"Oh..." Percy sheepishly looked away and left the bathroom. Nico finished getting ready for work and when he stepped out of the bathroom he found Percy at his desk looking at the map. He looked adorable, Nico thought, remembering how much he loved Percy's concentrating face. He kissed his boyfriend's forehead and quietly said goodbye before going down to the shop.

Percy continued looking at the map. As far as he could tell it was useless. It didn't specify what part of the world it was in, and just had generic illustrations with little dots connecting them. He ended up spending the better part of the morning trying to figure it out. He looked at the map sideways, he looked at it backward, he looked at it from all angles, but just couldn't figure out the key. He knew he needed to pack, but who said that they were leaving right away? Nico couldn't exactly just up and leave the store whenever. Percy figured that it would be hard for Nico to be away from the shop for too long. Sometimes he would sneak down and watch his lover from a hidden place by the utility closet. Nico always looked genuinely happy to be doing what he was doing. His eyes sparkled like the diamonds he showed to his customers. Antonio knew about Percy's visits, and always told him that Nico would be pleased to know he visited, but the son of Poseidon hated to bother the other man. He sighed and stood up to get his brain on something else in the hopes of returning to the map with fresh eyes.

"Antonio, will you please get some boxes from the back?" Nico asked before smiling at the couple in front of him. The couple was American, so he always tried to make it a point to speak English in front of them so that they wouldn't feel like they were missing out on something. When Antonio disappeared into the back room, the woman turned to Nico.

"So do you have a girlfriend? I just have this sister and noticed your lack of wedding ring."

The son of Hades felt the color drain from his face. He hated discussing his relationship with people, never knowing how people would react.

"I have a boyfriend, actually." he said, bracing himself for whatever reaction the couple gave him.

"Wait, you're Nico di Angelo, right?" the woman's fiance asked, "As in the love of Percy Jackson's life?"

Nico's eyes shot up to his. How did he know? "Percy is my boyfriend, yes."

"Yeah I'd heard he got back with you after the other camp failed." The man continued.

Nico could feel a headache coming on. It seemed everyone knew what went on in their relationship. Each time someone asked him about Percy, they mentioned the last thing they remembered him doing with Nico. The legend of his death and subsequent return had spread through the demigod community. Everyone knew how many times he'd been kidnapped, and how many times Percy had saved him. Everyone knew that Percy and Nico had split up, only to get back together five years later. Really love-dipped couples liked the romanticism of it all, others liked to put it under a microscope to avoid thinking about their own relationships.

"Hey, did you fall asleep with your eyes open?" the woman asked.

"Oh sorry, what?" Nico wasn't sure if he had been lost in thought or really had fallen asleep.

"What has Percy been up to?" The man asked.

Nico was annoyed. He wanted to ask the couple why they cared, and what business it was of theirs. The main reason he was agitated, though, was because he didn't have an answer. Did he really believe that Percy just hung out upstairs all day? No. He knew the son of Poseidon needed more to do than that. He shrugged, "He's gone a lot."

"Do you know if he'll ever try to make a camp again? I really liked it when I was there."

"Probably not. It hit him really hard when it failed." Nico said, relaxing just a little bit.

"Is that that summer camp you always talk about?" The woman asked. The man gave Nico a look that confirmed his suspicions that she didn't know her fiance was a demigod. The two began talking to each other, seeming to forget about Nico's presence until Antonio returned with the boxes. Nico boxed up their wedding rings and then sent them over to Antonio for the payment process. The man told him that it was nice seeing him and to tell Percy hello. Nico just nodded, not bothering to remind the man that nobody but Percy and Cameron had ever talked to him at the camp, and did he forget that he slashed Cameron's throat in front of a crowd of children, and that he'd never told Nico his name. At least the latter would be on the credit card statement, but Nico didn't feel like trying that hard.

When they left the shop Antonio returned to the back room, sensing that Nico needed a moment now that the store was quiet. When his assistant had gone the son of Hades took the keys from his pocket and walked across the store to another glass display box. He took one of the smaller rings out and looked at it. It was just a sterling silver band with two entwined skeletal hands. Nico looked around and then slipped the ring onto his left ring finger. His finger was just a size too small, but he could easily fix that. He moved the ring so that the plain part of the band was on top and looked at his hand. Maybe if he wore something like that fewer people would ask him if he were married, or had a girlfriend. They were natural questions to ask in a jewelry shop, but maybe if Nico took some of the guess work out people wouldn't be so curious. He continued looking at the ring. He started to wonder what it would be like if he and Percy got married. His mind briefly flashed to a ceremony with sunflowers and suits, and then he tore the ring off. "Stupid." he said out loud. What a ridiculous thought. He put the ring back on the display and then set about busying himself until the next customer came in.

Nico smelled it before he saw it. He kept his gaze low and used his peripheral vision to try and figure out exactly who or what it was that had come for him. He almost gave an annoyed sigh when he saw the hoof and the brass leg. The Empusa wasn't even bothering to try and hide it; she knew she couldn't seduce Nico. Slowly he raised his eyes and forced a smile, "Hello, how may I help you today?" he asked with an edge of sarcasm.

The Empusa ran her fingernails across the top of the glass jewelry cases until she came to stand in front of Nico, "Hmm, do you carry any pearls?"

"My business partner doesn't like them because of where they come from."

"Oysters don't even have brains. Who cares if you crack a few open?"

"What are you really here for, Empusa?"

The woman scoffed, flipping her hair. Flames came out from between the locks and faded before any touched the ground. Nico knew that he was literally playing with fire, but he also knew that this was not going to end well. He looked over to the supply closet, where Antonio was peeking out from the door. He made sure not to give him any looks or anything that might tip off the Empusa that someone else was in the shop.

"I'm here looking for sparklies."

Nico fought the urge to roll his eyes, "What kind of sparklies?"

"What would you recommend?"

The son of Hades walked over to another display case. He wasn't sure what the Empusa's game was, but he was willing to play along. He brought out a few pieces; a pendant, two rings, and a tiara. Surprise surprise, the Empusa grabbed the tiara first.

"The stones are fire opal." Nico said, smirking a little, "I thought that would be appropriate."

The Empusa placed the tiara on her head and then looked into a mirror on the wall, "So where is your so called business partner?" she asked in a bored tone as she fixed her makeup in the mirror.

Nico shrugged, "Out getting a few things." he said, hoping it were true.

Fire again flared out from underneath the Empusa's hair. That answer wasn't good enough, "When's he going to be back?"

"I don't know." Nico shrugged again. He used his peripheral vision to spot Antonio, who had moved from the closet and was now against the wall, searching for a weapon.

Nico heard the front door of the shop lock, "Well I'll just wait here with you until he comes back." she said, trying on the other pieces of jewelry.

"How's he going to get in if you locked the door?"

"That's just for the mortals." The Empusa said with another flare, "He can come in when he arrives."

"What if he doesn't?" Nico knew Percy rarely visited him in the store. They could be sitting there for a long time.

"If he's not here within an hour, I'll just have to kill you by yourself and get him later, but that's just so much more work." a chill ran down Nico's spine as she smiled, "Of course, maybe I should do that anyway. Putting Percy in pain twice could be fun." she flipped her hair again and it all turned into strands of flame. The tiara glowed orange as the fire heated the metal on top of her head. Nico ducked behind the display case just in time for her to smash it with both fists. He popped out from the wreckage and lunged at her, feeling the burn as her hair hit his face. He took a second to look at where Antonio had been standing and he was no longer there. The Empusa kicked him with her bronze leg and he didn't have time to figure out where the boy had gone. When she made to kick him again Nico grabbed the leg and twisted it. A bolt fell out from somewhere, but didn't weaken the Empusa at all. As they fought Nico saw things in his shop catching fire. No turning back now. The flames seemed to grow with the Empusa's anger.

Nico was thrown to the ground and the Empusa leered over him, opening her mouth wide to display long sharp fangs. She was just about to sink her teeth into his throat when her head suddenly fell onto his shoulder and continued to roll across the floor. Nico looked up and saw Percy standing there with Riptide. He also saw that part of the ceiling was ready to smash his hero.

"Percy, move!" he screamed and Percy obeyed just in time for a piece of ceiling to fall on top of Nico and the Empusa's body before the body turned into dust. Luckily that had protected Nico enough that Percy could quickly dig him out. As soon as he was standing Nico pushed the other man toward the back to the staircase which led up to their home. Percy kicked in the door and then promptly tripped; the vinyl tiles were curling from the heat, and the adhesive underneath had melted into a slippery mess. Nico pulled him up and told him to grab his backpack and to quickly pack anything he needed. Meanwhile Nico grabbed his own full backpack and then stuffed the map inside before raiding the kitchen for food and other various supplies. He heard Percy call his name and looked over to see that the floor had collapsed between them. Thinking fast, Nico ran into the pantry and used the shadow to reappear in the bedroom closet. He grabbed Percy and shadowed down to a corner in a nearby store. Both men watched in horror as Nico's shop and home were completely engulfed in flames. Nico frantically looked around for Antonio, and found him standing with his father. Antonio sensed the stare and waved. Nico then knew that he and his father were going to take care of things, and Antonio was telling him to leave now. "Come on." Nico said, taking out the map and holding out his hand for his boyfriend, "We have to go."

"Wait." Percy said, running back toward the shop. Nico's heart just about jumped out of his throat until he saw Percy standing near a hydrant. The son of Poseidon gave Nico a look and the smaller man knew exactly what to do. After the son of Hades had knocked everyone out within a certain radius Percy used his power to bust open the hydrant and move the water toward the flames, which had started to burn the connecting shops. He doused the building thouroughly enough that the fire wouldn't spread. Nico's shop was too far gone by that point and they had to leave a bit of a distraction for everyone when Nico woke them up. Percy was still watching the building as it began to collapse into itself and the newly awakened neighbors watched too. He tripped as Nico dragged him down some stairs. He looked ahead and all he saw was darkness; he couldn't even tell where the stairs ended. He squeezed Nico's hand tighter, placing all of his trust in the boy as the darkness engulfed them.

*Hey, long time no read, eh? I was having a lot of formatting issues, but I think it's still readable. I hope it hasn't been too long since the last Blackness sequel. I have about 4 chapters completed, so hopefully there won't be too long between each chapter for posting.*


	2. Chapter 2

The son of Poseidon's senses were going crazy in the darkness. There could be monsters anywhere in these shadows, poised to attack. With his free hand he touched Riptide in his pocket, feeling somewhat braver to know his familiar weapon was with him. Suddenly Nico stopped and Percy stumbled into him.

"Sorry..." Percy automatically said, wincing when a green glow assaulted his eyesight.

"Sorry." Nico replied as he shook the glowstick, "I forget that you can't see in the dark sometimes." he looped a cord into the hole above the glowstick and then placed it around Percy's neck, "Better?"

Percy blinked and looked around. There were cement walls on either side of them, the ceiling was much lower than he would have preferred, and were those bones on the floor?! "Not really." he admitted. He didn't have to look at his boyfriend to know that the son of Hades had smirked at his comment.

"Come on. We shouldn't stay here." Nico said, glancing at his watch and holding out his hand, "There should be a left up here soon." he said, seemingly thinking aloud.

Percy nodded, even though he knew Nico couldn't see it. They started moving and soon enough they met a wall, but to the left was another pathway, just wide enough for Percy's shoulders. The Sea Prince thought that he heard a scraping noise behind them, and to confirm his suspicions Nico tugged on his hand and started walking faster. Percy wondered how Nico knew where to go. He heard the scraping again.

"We need to get out of here." Nico said ominously. He looked behind Percy's shoulder, peering into the darkness and making Percy's hair stand on end, "Run!" he suddenly shouted, yanking Percy forward.

As they ran Percy's ears picked up on a scraping and clicking sound. He looked back, but the darkness yielded no answers. It was just as well; he knew exactly what was behind them. They ran for what seemed like miles until Nico tripped. Percy fell on top of his boyfriend and the two scrambled to right themselves in the tight walkway as the clicking and scraping drew closer. Percy felt something pulling on his leg and broke the loop on his glowstick to bring the light down. The grip on his leg stopped and in the glow of the glowstick he saw Nico being dragged around a corner as he clawed at the ground.

"Nico!" Percy shouted, quickly getting up and running in the direction in which he had been dragged. He followed the trail Nico's fingernails had left in the dirt, worrying when the glowstick and the marks both started to fade. He heard a struggle to his right and ran toward it. Soon he saw Nico running toward him.

"Go!" Nico made a pushing gesture with his arms and Percy obeyed, though he found it difficult to concentrate because he'd seen the blood on Nico's face and clothing, and he knew skeletons didn't bleed, so it had to be his boyfriend's. Still he ran, with Nico occasionally shouting which direction to go, with the admitted occasional mishap of forgetting which way was left or right. Finally Percy saw light. At first he thought he was hallucinating, but then Nico was pushing him upward. He pushed up on what appeared to be a manhole cover (but couldn't have been because of how light it was). He could hear the clicking and scraping behind him and just before exiting the catacombs he took a look backward. A skeleton in silken breeches and an ancient powdered wig shuffled in front of several skeletons in old timey peasant's clothing. The sight gave Percy that last burst of energy he needed to emerge into the light. He felt Nico's cold hand encircle his and he pulled the smaller body into his. Nico allowed the embrace for a moment before reluctantly pushing Percy away.

"We have to keep moving." he said apologetically when Percy looked at him, "Come on."

"How do you know where we're going?" Percy asked, replacing the faux manhole cover.

"I planned this."

"How-?"

Nico cut Percy off, "I'll tell you next time we stop."

Percy hated not knowing anything, but he trusted Nico enough to just continue to follow him. He'd follow him right off a cliff. Percy hated and loved that Nico had that kind of power over him. They wound through the city, which Percy assumed was an older one, judging by the architecture of the cramped buildings. Nico kept looking behind his shoulder and Percy would follow suit, though he wasn't entirely sure of what he was looking for. He was ready for anything after the night they'd had so far. He'd heard a commotion and gone downstairs to investigate when he saw the Empusa looming over his boyfriend and sprang into action. After that everything was a firey blur until he was in the darkness of the catacombs. He hated walking skeletons, he really did. Despite the confusion, he was also excited to be on another adventure. Nico seemed relatively unhurt, so Percy allowed himself to think about how hot he looked just now without any guilt. The smaller man smelled like fire, and had ash in his hair and streaked across his skin. He had scratches that appeared to already be healing. A warrior once again. Percy's warrior. The son of Poseidon felt himself reaching toward the other man, but stopped. Nico was obviously in mission mode, and Percy knew better than to bother him just then. He felt Nico's cold hands on his face, smudging something on.

"I think it would be wise to cover up your smell until we get to shelter."

"Are you saying I smell?" Percy teased, glad when he got a tiny smile from his boyfriend.

"Come on." Nico held out his hand. Percy took it and they continued their journey through the city. Eventually they came upon a large residence with people wearing backpacks and rain jackets leaning against the aged walls. Nico led Percy down a hallway to a sort of makeshift office, where an old woman was looking through some papers. The son of Hades exchanged words in Italian with the woman and then Percy watched as the woman gestured down another hallway. Nico opened a door at the end of the hallway and both men stepped inside.

Two sets of bunkbeds were against the wall to the left, and two tall skinny wardrobes were on the right. Percy saw that one set was occupied and felt nervous about sharing a room with strangers. He was afraid to ask about the showers.

"Food, sleep, or clean first?" Nico asked, sitting on the bottom bed of the vacant bunk. He saw Percy's unsure face and motioned for him to sit down on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked, surveying Percy's form. "You didn't get burned, did you?"

Percy shook his head, "No."

"Thanks for saving me." Nico said quietly, and then added a nearly inaudible, "Again."

"You're the Daphne to my Fred, what can I say?"

"I don't understand that reference."

Percy smiled, "I know. That makes it all the more fun."

"Speaking of not explaining things, I suppose you'd like to know exactly what the fuck is going on and where we are, yes?" Nico asked, unzipping his bag and taking out the map.

"That would be nice." Percy admitted.

"I've had some down time at work between customers and started coming up with our game plan. We have to find out where Hebe is, though. I didn't get that far before that Empusa barbequed my shop."

"Um yeah, what the fuck was that?"

Nico shrugged uncomfortably, "She came looking for you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Maybe she was still mad about that party where you dissed her?"

Percy laughed, "Maybe." they didn't really wonder why she had come looking for him; it was just the nature of their demigod being. Percy stayed quiet after that though. He wasn't sure what to say about Nico's shop being burned to the ground.

"Antonio and his dad will take care of the shop," Nico said, seeming to read Percy's mind, "My dad purposely put the property in Soter's pseudonym so that he could legally run things while I'm on missions."

"But what about all of the stuff? There's no point in having a shop if you have nothing to sell."

"The vault should be okay, and I'd bet a few things just need a bit of dusting off. I know this will probably sound dumb, but I'm actually more sad about losing those pictures I found more than anything else."

"You mean these ones?" Percy asked, taking the bundle out of his backpack.

Nico bit his lip to keep from smiling too much, "Why do you have those?"

Percy blushed, "I shoved them in my bag because I was going to put them in an album and surprise you for our anniv- just surprise you."

Nico's heart skipped a beat when Percy had almost said 'anniversary'. It had almost been a year since they had gotten back together, and he hadn't even thought about it. Percy held the photos out to him, and Nico quietly took them, giving his boyfriend a little side smile, "Thanks Percy."

They stared at each other for a moment, each wondering what to say to the other. Instead of speaking, their faces came closer and their lips met in a soft kiss. They hadn't kissed like this in a long time. Sure they had the peck on the lips, forehead or cheek every day, but it had been weeks since either had taken the time to slow things down. Percy held Nico's face as they deepened the kiss. Nico loosely held onto Percy's waist, not sure if this was okay or not. He wanted to cry and pull Percy closer, and have everything go back to the first few weeks that they were together again. He didn't want the kiss to end, but then the hostel door opened and the pair were forced back into reality. Two men walked in, the blonde one apologising for ruining the moment. His accent suggested American, particularly somewhere West.

"It's fine." Nico said, "Can't say it's a surprise in a hostel, right?"

"Right." agreed the other man, a heavyset individual with dark hair and a scruffy chin. Both men appeared to be in their early to mid-thirties. "So this is my partner James, and I'm David."

"Partners for what?" Percy asked, realizing that his arms were still around Nico, but he couldn't move them without calling attention to it and making things more awkward.

"Business partners." James said with a laugh at Percy's light blush, "It's okay, lots of people assume that we're together. I guess it is kind of weird for us two to go backpacking together, but the wife isn't much for travel and Dave here used to do this all the time when he was younger."

"So what's the story with you two?" Dave asked as he unzipped his duffle bag and pulled out some clean clothes, "One of you is definitely American and I'm not so sure about the other, and don't try and tell me that you two are business partners too."

Percy blushed furiously so Nico filled them in, "Percy here is from New York area, and I'm not really sure what I count as because I was born in Italy, but lived most of my life in America and have only been back here for a few years. What made you not so sure about me?"

"You have a tiny tiny accent. It's not really apparent, but I noticed that you roll your r's just a little and your vowels are a bit off in some of the words."

"Yeah, Percy tells me all the time that I say his name like a kitty cat." Nico said, biting his lip at how silly he realized he had just sounded.

Dave just nodded, "I understand what he means."

"So what's your guys' story?" James asked the question again, leaning against the desk.

"We like to play treasure hunters," Nico explained easily as Percy listened just as curiously as the other two men in the room, "I own a jewelry shop and I like to go into the field myself to find some things."

"Is that why you two are so dirty? Er, no offense."

Both nodded, unable to offer more explanation. "Speaking of which, we were just about to head to the showers before dinner." Nico said, grabbing his backpack.

"When you two are cleaned up would you like to join us for dinner? Half of the fun of backpacking is all of the people you meet, and I have a feeling that you two have a lot of interesting stories."

x.x.x

"Sorry, Percy." Nico said as they set their bags down in the shower room.

"Hmm? Why?"

"I can tell you're being shy. I know everything is just kind of happening all at once."

"I'm not being shy." Percy protested with a blush as Nico stripped naked in the public shower room, "Well not because of that."

Nico stepped into one of the shower stalls, "Come here."

Percy blushed again, "No."

"Fine. I'll hand you the soap when I'm done." Nico said with a glare that Percy wouldn't have caught had he not known the man for so long.

Percy just sat on the bench and listened to Nico showering. Another man walked in and stripped as though it were nothing, hopping into a shower stall with a friendly smile at Percy. The son of Poseidon quickly looked away, willing not to turn red again. Just after that another man came in and did the same, though he looked at Percy curiously. The other man couldn't blame him; he was filthy, sitting on a bench in a shower room and doing nothing. Finally Nico walked out of his stall.

"You okay?"

Percy nodded and reluctantly took his clothing off, covering himself before stepping into the stall Nico had just used. His boyfriend seemed to sense what he needed and after dressing he stood in front of the stall curtain. Now assured that nobody unwanted would walk in on him Percy started to wash the grime from his face and body. As soon as he turned off the water Nico poked his head in.

"Wait, another guy is getting dressed."

Percy hated the fact that he was uncomfortable. He showered at camp with other guys all the time, but something about being in a public shower in Europe had him nervous. He was grateful that Nico was mindful of it. He got out and dressed when the coast was clear.

"You smell nice." Nico said, reaching up and running his hand through Percy's damp hair. Percy's skin broke out in goosebumps. It had been a long time since Nico had given him any attention like that. It was almost too much, so the other man pulled away.

"We should get back to the room before the guys think we ditched them." he said, gathering his things.

Nico looked dejected, but didn't say anything, "Yeah. They seem like pretty nice guys. What exactly are we going to tell them, though?"

"You seem to have our stories covered."

"I guess." Nico said, unsure if Percy sounded angry or not. They left the showers and returned to the room, where the two men were waiting for them. Together they walked a few blocks to a small cafe. James noticed that Nico's eyes were constantly flitting around, particularly looking behind him.

"You boys on the run or something?" he finally asked when they were sitting down. Nico's gaze immediately snapped over to him as he tried to think of a lie that he could remember.

"Nico's always afraid of his dad finding us. Of course he's still in the U.S. but old habits die hard." Percy piped up, surprising his boyfriend.

"Ah. Not very supportive?"

Nico shrugged, "He's come a long way, but things are still uncomfortable."

The night went on and Percy and Nico manged to lie consistently, saying that they had just come backpacking like the other two, and it was their first time being together with no "adults" around. The business partners thought that the two were younger than they were, and it made their stories easier to believe, so they never corrected the men. On the way back to the hostel Nico quietly promised that it was only for one night, noticing how uncomfortable Percy was with lying to such nice people. Without even thinking about it, that night Percy and Nico slept together on the bottom bunk. The next day neither of the business partners mentioned it, and Percy was somewhat grateful.

Later in the morning Nico returned to the room to find Percy just sitting and waiting for him. He felt a wave of shame, knowing Percy could smell the smoke on him. In his defense he'd been doing pretty well so far considering everything that they'd gone through.

"So where to now?" Percy asked as they packed up their things. The business partners had woken early with Nico and left before Percy got up.

"We have to find Hebe."

"Do you know where she is?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

"So we're just kind of going blindly?" Percy bit his lip, unsure of Nico's reaction.

"Pretty much." Nico said, zipping up his backpack, "She has to tell us how to read the map."

"Where do you think she is?"

Nico chewed his lip for a moment as he thought, "Memphis?"

"Really?"

Nico nodded.

Percy sighed, "Please tell me we can at least shadow travel there."

"Maybe... after we have some breakfast."

"I'm following you."

Nico started to leave the hostel and sure enough Percy followed right behind him. Nico paid the woman at the front desk and the two found a fruit stand not far from the hostel.

"Are you okay? You're not eating." Nico said, noticing that Percy had zipped his fruit choices in his backpack.

"I'm not feeling really well. I'll eat later."

Nico reached up a cool hand to Percy's forehead. No fever. He looked a little pale. "You sure you're okay? We can stay here for a bit if you need."

"I'm fine." Percy insisted, though he loved the attention Nico was giving him. The acid in the fruit just made him nauseous in the morning, but he wasn't going to tell his boyfriend that. The son of Hades finished his breakfast and then they went about finding a covert shadow to travel through.

x.x.x

Percy's feet felt wet immediately upon landing. He also felt Nico's hand pulling him out of the fountain which they had landed in, "Oops. Sorry, I miscalculated a little bit." he heard his boyfriend say. Percy balanced on the ledge and looked up at the fountain from whence he came. Up at the top was the statue of a woman in ancient Greek attire holding a vase. The taller man's heart sank. Hebe. Nico's miscalculations had apparently been more than just a little bit.

"Come on." Nico said, pulling Percy's hand. The son of Poseidon was getting really tired of being dragged around, but he told himself that soon he would have some answers and be able to actually participate. It was then that he realized that the fountain was fenced in. Nico had to let go of his hand to crawl over. It was dark outside and Percy wondered why Nico didn't just shadow through or something. He helped the smaller man get over and then crawled over by himself, being the taller of the two. He was then led into a 24-hour diner down the dark street and followed Nico's lead in sitting down at a booth and grabbing a menu. There were very few people inside the diner; a few truckers along the diner counter, and an older couple in the corner. A woman was refilling the truckers' mugs from a seemingly bottomless coffee pot. As soon as they were taken care of she swooped from behind the counter and approached Percy and Nico. Sea green eyes read the name tag.

"Hello Heather." he said, trying to seem more pleasant than he was feeling. They had left Italy minutes ago, and he still wasn't hungry. He didn't want her to think him rude or anything.

"Hello Percy." she replied. Percy's eyes darted to Nico, who was giving him a sly smile.

"Hebe, we need to ask you about something." Nico said, starting to take out the map.

"Of course. Be right back." Hebe, or Heather said before she was over refilling the older couple's mugs of coffee and then went back over to the truckers to pass out their plates which had just arrived from the kitchen in the back. She made sure the men were taken care of before returning to the demigods. Nico showed her the map and she smiled, "You can only find it if you need it."

"I do." Nico said, gesturing to the cane strapped to his backpack.

Hebe seemed to understand with a slow blink of her eyes. She left once again to make sure all of the other customers were okay and when she returned she pointed out how the map worked. It only really showed the current step, and there were various tasks to be completed before the next step would appear.

"I change what the steps are all the time. I mean, I can't just say 'Oh here it is' and I can't have it be easy for one guy and hard for another. I'll make it challenging for you two, no doubts about that."

The two men looked at each other, wondering what she would have in store for them. She left again and Nico stood, ready to leave. Percy followed suit and when they got outside Nico gave him a sheepish look as he took out his pack of smokes. He had just managed to light it when he heard Percy sigh and walk away. Nico took the cigarette from his mouth and looked at it, watching the smoke curl up into the air. Making a decision he took a deep breath and dropped the cigarette to the ground, stomping it out.

"Percy!" he called after his boyfriend, who had simply walked back to the fountain and was leaning against the protective fence. He saw the hopeful smile tugging at the corner of Percy's mouth, but the son of Poseidon wouldn't let himself get too excited. It was a step, but he knew Nico was going to struggle more than that to quit. He moved from the fence and started walking over to join Nico.

"Um... want some gum or something?" he offered, trying to be helpful.

Nico flexed his hands and bounced them off of his thighs as if nervous for something to do, "Actually yeah. That would be great."

Percy dug into a front pocket of his bag, hoping that he really had grabbed the gum from the dresser, and was pleased when he found it. He handed Nico the pack, and his boyfriend took three pieces out.

"Thanks." Nico said with the same touch of guilt as if he had smoked.

"So where do we go now?" Percy asked.

Nico unrolled the map and looked at it, "Umm... what is that? A penis-fish?"

Percy looked at the map, where a small image had appeared in the lower left corner, "That's a bonnethead shark... in a box?"

"Aquarium. How can you tell what kind it is?"

"Duh, I'm the son of Poseidon." Nico gave Percy a look and he laughed before continuing, "Actually I can tell because the shape of his head is more round than most hammerheads. They're one of the smallest members of the hammerhead genus. They're also called shovelhead sharks. I'm not sure which one has more dignity."

Nico smiled. He liked it when Percy talked about things he was interested in, "So are we supposed to catch the shark or something?"

Percy made a nervous face, "I hope not."

Nico looked around, "Where do you suppose the nearest aquarium is?"

"Well, being as I'm sure it's going to be on an Olympic scale, I'd go for the biggest one, not neccessarily the nearest."

"Why do I get the feeling you already know where we need to go?"

"It's just a few states over. We could bus it if, you know, you're not up to it."

"Too expensive, plus it's got to be like eleven right now. We'll have to wait until morning."

Percy pouted, "But we just woke up."

Nico gave his little smirk, "We'll just have to find something to do until then."

Percy blushed, not knowing why. Nico's tone hadn't been suggestive, and they hadn't touched each other in weeks, no, months now. Nico started walking down the deserted street and Percy followed. Eventually they came to a main street, where some clubs were still open, their neon signs beckoning with promises of beer and entertainment. Both boys' ears picked up on some music. Each club had some form of music playing, but this was different, deeper. Nico followed the sound to a small building with dark windows, and only one small sign proclaiming that it was open. The two men made their way inside, where they were promptly greeted with steps down to the club entrance. Percy felt uneasy, but it was more because he knew they weren't going to blend in with their large backpacks and rain jackets. He watched as Nico took his jacket off and shoved his backpack into a dark corner before covering it with the jacket. He turned and motioned to Percy to hand him his stuff and then hid them in the corner as well. They finally arrived at the real entrance, where a man was waiting to check IDs. He took longer on Nico's, being a foreign ID.

"Long way from home, huh?"

"Si." Nico nodded, figuring that it would be easier to feign lack of English speaking skills than explain why an Italian like him was in a dive like this. He eyed Percy's New York ID suspiciously, but didn't say anything. He let the two men in, but Percy's nerves weren't quite calmed yet. The room was filled with small tables, none of which were empty. Nico motioned toward one in the corner, where a couple was waving them over.

"First time?" the woman asked as they sat down. Nico nodded.

"You just missed Sue; she's a singer around here. Jake is coming up next. He's a brilliant cello player around your guys' age."

Percy knew Nico's response before he even said it. "I love cello. How exciting." the smaller man said. A man came to the table offering wine. Nico ordered two glasses of a dark wine, knowing Percy wouldn't drink his, but wanting him to fit in nonetheless. Percy politely sipped some, obviously trying very hard to not make a face. The lighting changed and both boys looked at the stage, where the curtain opened to reveal a pale, lanky man wrapping intricately tattooed arms around a cello. Percy only had to hear one note to know that the man was quite good. He was so preoccupied with trying to see what the man's tattoos were that he didn't even hear the music until it stopped long enough for the man to turn the page in the music he was reading. Percy looked over at his boyfriend and felt his heart drop. He knew that stare. Nico was undressing the musician with his eyes. The smaller man's dark gaze didn't even get interrupted with a blink. He bit his lips as he concentrated on the man's long fingers plucking the strings. Finally he felt the sea green stare boring into the side of his head.

"What's up, Percy? Can't relax?"

Percy couldn't help it. The feelings just kind of came and smacked him in the stomach. He couldn't even speak. He wanted to throw up. Should he leave? Could he swallow and pretend to be okay? Was he being ridiculous? He vaguely heard Nico excuse them both from the table, and quickly left the table before Nico could touch him. He forced himself to walk, not run up the staircase back to the street. Nico kept calling his name and he finally turned to see the other man looking worried, holding their backpacks. The fresh air helped to calm Percy a little and he leaned against the building they had just emerged from.

"Percy, what's the matter?" Nico asked, reaching for his boyfriend.

Percy dodged the offending hand and shook his head, "Nothing. It's not important." Why? he chided himself. Why was he so incredibly incapable of telling Nico how he was feeling?

"Yes it is. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing. I just want to get out of here, okay?"

"Fine. If you say it's non molto I'll drop it. We still have hours to kill though. Where should we go? Everything is closed."

"Can you shadow us near the aquarium? Maybe we can get a room in the city and just relax for a bit."

The last thing Nico wanted was to be stuck in a room with Percy, who was apparently upset with him over something. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong. Nico had just been watching the man's fingers as he played the cello, and was wondering how many years he had been at it, and if his fingers ever bled from too much practice. He could tell that the man was passionate about what he did. Nico missed passion. He missed feeling it. He couldn't remember the last time Percy had been passionate about anything. They were both just so passive anymore, afraid to step on toes. Nico couldn't even get Percy to fight with him. When he had yelled at the taller man over the ashtray, Percy had just stood there and taken it, then they just talked it out with a few quiet words.

"Nico?"

Percy's voice cut through the smaller man's thoughts, "Hmm?"

"Can we go get a room?"

"Yeah... let's find a place to travel from."

They found a dark alleyway and used it to shadow a few states over. Percy was impressed that Nico had managed to land them a block from a decent motel. The tired night manager was reluctant to help them and gave them a look when neither agreed on a single or a double. After a tense moment the two men agreed on a double room and got the key and headed up to room 216. Both were quiet as they set down their things on separate beds. Percy went into the shower to think and when he got out Nico was gone. A note on the bedstand informed Percy that the other man had gone on a walk, and would be back in an hour or so. He looked at the alarm clock on the bedstand. He had no idea when Nico had left. His backpack was still there, so Percy didn't worry about his return. With a sigh he turned on the motel TV and laid back on his bed.

The sun was just starting to show when Nico came back. Percy woke with a start and looked at his lover. He looked tired and smelled of smoke. He chose not to comment on either.

"I need to shower." Nico said by way of greeting and then disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back out Percy was asleep again as the television blared an old episode of The Three Stooges. Nico accidentally let out a laugh and clamped his hands on his mouth as he looked at Percy again. He sat down on Percy's bed and watched the other man's face. He felt a little bit creepy, so he just laid next to Percy on the bed. He didn't mean to, but by then he was so exhausted that he fell asleep.

Percy wasn't all that confused when he woke up next to Nico. That was how they typically slept at home. Nico blinked his eyes open and looked up at Percy. They held the stare for a long time, until a noise from the television took away Nico's attention. The smaller man moved to sit up, but fell back to the bed with a groan, "I shouldn't have laid down. Percy, will you please get my stick?" The son of Poseidon obeyed, finding Nico's cane strapped to his backpack. He pulled it out until it was normal length and handed it to his boyfriend. Nico said his thanks and then used it to stand up out of bed.

"Today is going to suck." he said, rubbing his back.

"Could I give you a massage or something?" Percy asked, reaching toward Nico. The smaller man shrunk away from his touch.

Nico cleared his throat nervously. "Sorry, my skin hurts, kind of like when you have the flu or something."

"Why? Are you sick?"

Nico shrugged, "Just happens sometimes."

"Okay." Percy knew better than to keep asking questions. He hated to ask anyway, because he knew he couldn't help his lover, and that bothered him more than anything else.

"What time is it?"

Percy looked at the alarm clock, "Seven eleventy."

"You're adorable."

"I know."

"What time does the thinger open?" Nico asked, making what Percy could only assume was a fish-like gesture.

Percy smirked at Nico's movements, "Aren't you the man with the plan?"

"Yeah but fish are your thing, so you're in charge."

Percy stretched, "I guess I could go down and check if they have a computer to use. Want to come with?"

Nico leaned on his cane, "Duh. They have a continental breakfast. That reminds me, you still haven't eaten, have you?"

Percy shrugged, "No."

"But you're going to, right?"

Percy nodded. His stomach still didn't feel right from all of the sudden anxiety, but he wasn't a pansy and he didn't want to worry Nico. They had enough to worry about. He could only imagine what the first task could possibly be. He was glad that it obviously involved something in his forte, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't be dangerous.

They made their way downstairs, where a family of four and an annoyed looking business man were picking at the hard as rock pastries and stale toast. Nico excitedly went straight for a raisin muffin and Percy rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's easy to please nature. He crossed over to the computer in the corner and followed the instructions to sign on.

"So when do they open?" Percy heard Nico ask just behind him a few minutes later. When he turned to answer he found a jelly covered English muffin shoved into his mouth.

"Thought you could get away without eating, eh? Well, none of that." Nico continued as he pulled up a chair next to his boyfriend.

"They open at nine." Percy finally answered after finishing the entire muffin. He hadn't thought he was hungry, but that stale piece of jelly covered rock had been delicious.

"Might as well get right to it, then."

Percy just nodded, not wanting to go into too much detail with everyone around. He had 3 more muffins before the two made their way back upstairs to pack up and move on. As they packed, Percy's ears picked up on Nico lightly humming a song. It was one of the songs that the cello player had played the previous night. Percy was frightened at the rage that blew threw him. Seeming to have felt the change in energy, Nico stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked.

"Where did you go last night?" Percy asked, grinding his teeth for nothing better to ebb his feelings.

What little color there was drained from Nico's face, "I went walking."

"Where?"

"I don't know, just down the street. I walked to the corner and uh... smoked." the very word sounded like a sin as it fell from Nico's lips.

Percy leaned across his backpack, "Is that all? You were gone a long time."

Nico inhaled deeply. He knew the answer Percy wanted, but the thing was that it would be a lie. Either way that he answered Percy would be mad at him. "After that I just kept walking. I walked past a park-" Nico stopped when he realized that he couldn't remember what he had done after that, "-Then I... I think I came back after that."

"That's an awfully long time to go up the street and back." Percy hated the words that were coming out of his mouth. He didn't know why he couldn't stop pressing the issue.

"I don't remember everything I did." Nico admitted, looking away from the blaze in Percy's eyes. He felt attacked and his instincts were telling him to attack right back, but he wouldn't do that to Percy. Instead he gripped his backpack tightly.

"You don't remember? You were gone for more than three hours and you don't remember?"

"No. The last thing I remember is walking past the park and then coming back."

"Where are the clothes you wore last night?" Percy's tone had become quiet, dangerous.

Nico unzipped his bag and threw the clothes at Percy. He didn't know what his boyfriend was up to, but he hated being on edge and was ready for this fight to be over. He watched as Percy picked up the clothes in a wad and smelled them.

Smoke was not surprising for Percy to smell. He was saddened at the way it masked Nico's trademark dirt and decay scent. His nose picked up on something else that he couldn't name. It was like food, but he wasn't exactly sure what kind. With his findings inconclusive he asked the real question that he'd wanted to the entire time.

"Were you with that guy last night?"

Nico felt the floor fall from beneath him. He couldn't believe that Percy could even ask such a question. He was so hurt that no words came out.

"Were you with Jake last night or not?"

The son of Hades iced over the hurt with anger, "No I wasn't with Jake or whatever his name was. He's in another state, remember?"

"We both know you easily could have traveled over."

Nico's knuckles turned white as he balled his fists in rage, "Why are you doing this, Percy?"

Percy let out a frustrated breath, "Just answer the question."

"I did answer it."

"But you don't really remember."

"Whether I remember or not doesn't matter. I have no reason to go to that guy. Yeah I like cello music, but it's not like he's the only person capable of producing it."

"You were attracted to him, I could tell."

"Just because I'm not blind doesn't mean I'm going to go jump on anyone I find attractive!" Nico slammed his fists on the bed and the room shook. The commotion outside told both men that the son of Hades had moved a lot more than just the room.

There was a pause before Percy quietly said, "I guess that's true because we both know you haven't touched me in weeks." he looked away, "Or is it just that you don't find me attractive anymore?"

Just as quickly as Nico's rage had boiled over, it dissipated. His lover looked so vulnerable just then. He slowly came around to stand next to Percy, "Of course I find you attractive, Percy. I just-"

A knock at the door cut the conversation short. Percy reluctantly opened the door to a small, round woman who informed them that there had been a strange tremor, and so they were to evacuate the building as it was inspected for safety. The men gave each other a knowing glance before thanking the woman and closing the door. Without a word they gathered their things and left, only speaking once they were a block away from the building.

"So do we even have an idea about what we're supposed to do once we get to the aquarium?" Percy finally asked after they had walked two blocks. He said it in a distant, almost non-chalant way, not knowing where he and Nico stood after the fight.

"I'm hoping that we can figure it out once we get there, but honestly I haven't a clue." Nico answered in a formal tone.

"Are we walking there?"

Nico stopped and looked around as though calculating the distance, "We probably could, but we should save our energy for whatever's coming up." He started to look for a place to shadow travel when Percy grabbed his arm. It was a gentle hold, but Nico looked at him curiously.

"What about you? It'll take some energy to shadow travel."

"I'll be fine, Percy. Besides, I have a feeling that you'll be doing most of the work." Nico said with a small smirk, "Come on." he led the son of Poseidon to a dark corner. After their fight earlier, both men ended up in an awkward embrace and immediately parted when they arrived just around the corner from the aquarium. "Do we have enough money to get in?" Nico asked.

Percy unzipped his pack and counted the rumpled up dollars, "Yeah."

"Good. Come on." Nico moved toward the aquarium entrance. Percy noticed that one of his hands moved backward, habitually seeking out a hand to hold. The taller man hesitated to take it and Nico shoved it into his pocket and acted like nothing happened. They purchased tickets and accepted a paper map before stopping to study it.

"Where do you think we should start?" Nico asked.

"Um... Shark Alley? The map had a bonnethead shark on it, so that would make sense to me."

Nico nodded and the two men made their way toward Shark Alley. Percy was finding it very difficult not to stop and stare at all of the brightly colored fish swimming past him behind the glass. Nico smirked in amusement, for a brief moment remembering why he loved his boyfriend. "Pretty fishies?" he teased, earning the faintest blush from Percy, who reluctantly looked at the floor as they continued walking. "Fuck yeah, sharks!" he heard Nico say before his hand was grabbed and he was led to the large tank where most of the sharks swam. There were a few other fish thrown in for good measure (and possibly food) as well as various flotsum and jetsum. Even Nico had to stop and let his ADHD go after the different colors and movements of the creatures.

"Maybe it's in another exhibit. Should we ask someone?" Percy asked after a few minutes of not seeing anything resembling the right shark. Nico nodded and they went to the nearest employee, who told them that the bonnethead shark was in the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. Percy chastised himself that he should have known that, but Nico reminded him that even the dorkiest of dorks wouldn't necessarily think of that.

"What do you think we're supposed to do?" Percy asked, moving closer to the tank and searching for the apparently elusive bonnethead shark.

Nico smooshed his face on the glass while also looking for the shark, "Maybe we're doing it wrong? Picked the wrong aquarium?"

"Wait, I think I just saw the shark." Percy said, holding out his hand in front of Nico as if Nico continuing to talk would make the shark swim away. The bonnethead came into full view, the eyes on either side of its head twitching. Percy could tell that it was old, probably a lot older than most in the ocean.

"Smaller than I was expecting. Not that I'm not thrilled that it isn't a ton-weighed gargantuan who could eat me in one bite."

Percy looked at Nico, "Been watching those fake documentaries again?"

Nico raised an eyebrow, "You do remember that we frequently fight people with bull heads and snake hair, right? Who's to say there isn't some ancient Greek shark monster, hmm?"

"Point taken." Percy said before looking at the shark again. A pufferfish floated by, and Percy could have sworn that it winked at him. Cheeky little fish. He felt a poke at his ribs and looked over at Nico, who was pointing with his finger pressed against the glass. Had the guy never learned aquarium etiquette? No, Percy realized, he probably hadn't. Did they even have aquariums back then?

"Percy, look." Nico's voice brought his attention back where it should be, "Doesn't that look like something that shouldn't be there?" Percy followed the darker gaze to a large urn. There weren't any other decorations like it in the tank; not even a fake treasure chest.

"So uh, what's the plan exactly?" Percy asked, assuming that he was supposed to retrieve the urn.

Nico chewed his lip, "How do we get in there?"

Percy shrugged, "I might have an idea."

The two looked around, trying to come up with a plan. Nico was curious as to how Percy seemed to know so much about aquariums, but he supposed it made perfect sense for a fish brain like his Sea Prince. Finally they thought they had a good idea, but they had to do it quickly before the crowds started coming. Nico put everyone inside to sleep and the two men quickly blocked the main entrances and then lifted a set of keys off of one of the main employees. Percy guessed at which door would lead to access to the aquarium and then tried each key until one finally opened the door.

"We are so going to jail." he heard Nico say behind him.

"A lot of things we do should send us to prison." Percy shrugged. It wasn't like Nico to be so apprehensive, and it was making him nervous. There were stairs in front of him and he could hear the swish of water above. With a deep breath he pulled himself up the stairs. As the two men stared into the top of the huge tank a thought occured to Percy, "Um, do you really think I can lug that thing back to the surface by myself?"

Nico's eyes went wide, "No no no. I'll get eaten."

Percy smirked,"I'll tell them not to eat you. You don't have much meat on your bones anyway."

Nico sighed, "Fine. We have to hurry, though. The people aren't going to stay asleep for long, and that's assuming I didn't miss anybody."

He started to remove his shirt and Percy's ADHD had him staring for a moment before he remembered that he was supposed to be doing the same. He sat on the ledge and hung his feet in the water after removing his shoes. Warmer than he had expected. He didn't mind either way, but Nico would be pleased to not be freezing while they did this.

"Ready?" He asked the other man, who was also sitting on the ledge, though his feet were securely tucked underneath him.

Nico smiled, "Nope." he said before moving forward and splashing into the water. Percy followed suit and they located the urn before taking deep breaths and diving deep into the water. Percy found Nico's hand in the water and held it as they swam toward the urn. Percy tugged at the urn to see if they would need to dig. Of course they did. Percy made a digging motion to let Nico know what they had to do. Nico nodded, but suddenly swam upward. Percy watched him as he got more air. He hadn't considered the fact that Nico wasn't made for long aquatic adventures. When Nico returned they started to dig. Nico was the better at digging; sand wasn't much different from dirt and contrary to his extremely clean appearance, he did enjoy a good dig in the dirt now and then. It wasn't long before they'd managed to pull the urn out of the sand, only to see that it was only half of it. Percy wondered if they should keep digging to see if the bottom was buried, but noticed the smaller man was struggling and he knew Nico needed air. He started to swim to the surface and Nico did the same, only in a more quick and desperate fashion.

Nico could see the watery image of the ceiling and couldn't have been happier. If the lack of air wasn't enough, he seemed particularly sensitive to the water pressure. The half of the urn was extremely heavy and Nico worried that he would be dragged down and drown. He thought he felt something brush his foot, but he couldn't be bothered to see if it was a shark or not. Suddenly something grabbed his ankle. It didn't take a look to tell him that this something was a hand. Shit. Had they been caught? He felt another hand on his mouth as something whispered in his ear, "Mustn't inhale any water, must we?" it said before things went black.

x.x.x

Ok, I haven't read the books for a while, so if I forget something important I'm sorry. Also, I don't know anything about aquariums, so I'm just making it all up as to how they get inside. Other than that I hope you like it ^.^;


	3. Chapter 3

Nico woke up to a curtain around his bed. Strange, he didn't remember the bed in the motel room being that close to the window. His hearing then picked up on the sound of machines behind his head. When he moved to turn and look at what it was he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. Looking down he saw a thin tube taped to the inside of his forearm. Nico's stomach waved with nausea as his mind screamed one word: hospital. He wasn't sure if he should run from the situation or not. His throat burned and his head hurt. Maybe he had a serious flu? He felt tired. Maybe one small nap and then he would continue the investigation. The next time he opened his eyes he saw Percy.

"Hey sweetheart." Percy said quietly, "How are you feeling?"

Something came over the son of Hades just then. He was scared. He had no idea what was going on and all he wanted right then was Percy in his arms. Upon extending his reach toward Percy, the son of Poseidon gave him a pitiful look and closed the distance between them.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked in that same quiet tone. It made him sound as though he were afraid of being in trouble with the other man, which made Nico curious. The smaller man tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. Percy was standing above him and he was in the water, unable to breathe. Flashes of fish, no, a bathtub; he and Percy making out in the tub, no, they were fighting above a huge fishtank; Percy's hands on his arms, holding him down, pushing him... Nico released the embrace and Percy moved away to look at him questioningly.

"You tried to drown me." Nico said, his voice hoarse.

Percy looked confused, "What?"

"You... You held me under the water..." Nico said, moving as far away from his boyfriend as he could on the bed.

"Nico, you were pulled down by some kind of small cetea."

"No, you held me down."

Tears sprang to those sea green eyes, "What are you talking about, Nico? You- You were held down by that... I thought you were going to die again."

Nico was angry as his mind screamed, 'Liar!' "No! No, you came into the bathroom and held me down in the bathtub!"

"Nico, why are you saying that?" The tears fell freely from Percy's eyes. He wiped at his nose with his jacket sleeve, "How could you even think for a second that I would do that?"

Nico knew what he remembered. Was Percy telling the truth? The other man had no reason to have suddenly gone homicidal, but then what had Nico experienced? His mind raced with memories of fish and bathtubs. Both memories felt so real.

"Nico?"

Percy's voice brought the smaller man back to the present, "I need to think." he said, not looking at those sea green eyes that he knew were still bright with tears. He heard Percy say something along the lines of, "Okay fine." before leaving. When he was alone Nico again looked at his surroundings. The beige curtain seemed standard for any hospital, as did the rough white sheets he was lying in. He looked at the identification bracelet on his wrist and smiled a little. Percy had made up what year he was born. He wondered how the son of Poseidon explained that he didn't have any identification, but then it always amazed him how much he could get away with by essentially not existing. He heard someone move the curtain and looked up to see Percy again.

"I brought you some pudding." Percy said, handing it to Nico and then giving him a spoon from his pocket before taking another pudding cup from his other pocket.

"Thanks." Nico said, softening. He knew in his heart that Percy would never try to hurt him like that, but it didn't explain how those memories had gotten into his head. "I believe you, Percy." he said quietly.

"Really?"

The doubtful tone in Percy's voice made Nico swallow his pudding a little louder than intended. He scraped the rest of the pudding from the cup and shoved the huge glob into his mouth. The corner of Percy's mouth twitched at how terrible Nico was at making an awkward moment less awkward.

"Yes really." the smaller man finally said.

"Do you want to know what really happened?"

Nico bit the top of his plastic spoon nervously, "Yes."

Percy told him everything that had happened. Some sort of water monster had been stirred up by the removal of the urn, which was evidentially how she had gotten into the aquarium. She knew she couldn't touch the son of Poseidon, so she took the next best thing: Nico. She had tried to hold him for ransom and trade Percy for her ancient Greek pottery home.

"So do you have the piece of urn?" Nico asked.

"You were turning blue, so I handed it over."

"You're so sweet." Nico said, trying hard not to smile.

"I like the color blue and all, but not on you."

"So did we fail the quest?"

Percy shrugged,"We weren't even sure that what we were doing was right in the first place. How would we know?"

Nico started to peel the tape from his arm, "We need to get out of here."

Percy was nervous about Nico leaving the hospital, but he knew they weren't safe there. He was slightly surprised that nothing had come for them yet. He helped Nico out of the bed and into some clothes before they quietly shadowed away. Minutes later found them walking down by an old railroad. The sun was setting and Nico wondered how long he had been in the hospital. Was this a new day?

"Nico, should we maybe rest and then shadow to somewhere with you know... a bed?" Percy's voice cut through Nico's thoughts.

Nico looked around. They were in some kind of vast field. He had no idea where he had showed traveled them to.

"Where would you suggest we rest?" Nico asked, gesturing to the flat, brown grass stretching as far as the eye could see.

Percy caught Nico's condescending tone, but ignored it, "Anywhere. We can take out some clothes and rest on them."

The smaller man switched his weight and considered it, "Fine. Let's just not go too far from the railroad. We're probably on private property and I don't want to get shot."

They made a small area to rest using clothes they had worn. Percy laid down and closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep, so he just pretended like he was. Nico had just finished eating some fruit from his backpack and was looking at the map.

"So we must have done something right. There's a new thingy on the map."

Percy opened one eye, "Hmm?"

Nico showed him the map, which now had a rollerskate on it.

"Where do we go?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe tomorrow we'll try to get into the nearest town. I have no idea where we are."

"You didn't bring us here on purpose?" Percy sat up, looking worried.

"No. We just kind of ended up here."

"Well great. I was following you assuming that you had some kind of plan."

Nico handed Percy the map, "Where's your sense of adventure? You had one a few hours ago."

Percy looked at Nico. What he really wanted to say was something like, "I'm tired of seeing you nearly dead." He knew that didn't matter though. This was their life; monsters and death and demigods and gods in human form. Instead he went with an easy lie, "Sorry. I'm just tired."

Dark eyes looked at him skeptically, "Okay. I'm going to take a look around."

Percy gave a small wave and turned over to try and rest. His internal clock was completely off; he didn't know what day it was or what time it was or how much sleep he had or not gotten. He was worried about Nico, but that wasn't really a new feeling. He wanted his boyfriend to stay and rest with him. Nico had nearly drowned and he was acting like he was completely okay with it. Percy was nowhere near okay with it. Something was out to get them and he felt like he was the only one fighting against them. In the distance he heard a gunshot and sprang up. He thought Nico had been joking about getting shot. Percy's eyes frantically scanned the flat dry wasteland for his boyfriend. A black dot was coming toward him, growing larger and taking the form of his boyfriend. When he was close enough Percy could hear him yelling, "Run!"

Percy turned around to start running, but had to stop. There was a train coming down the tracks. Did he have enough time to cross the tracks? Even if he did, there was no way that Nico would make it. He stared at the train, wondering what to do and really hoping he didn't get shot while his back was turned.

"We're going to have to jump for it." Nico said, suddenly right next to him.

"Nico, that only works in the movies."

Nico took Percy's hand in his, "We're half bloods, it has to work." he looked down the tracks and found a boxcar with something to grab on to. "Too bad there are only open boxcars in movies." he said, "We'll have to improvise."

"If we get chopped in half, or shot for that matter, I just want you to know I love you."

"Love you too, Percy." Nico said just before pulling on his boyfriend's hand, "Jump!"

Just as they jumped Percy felt something ricochet off of his sneaker.

"Oh shit oh shit. Climb!"

Sea green eyes looked behind and saw an older man with a shotgun. A shotgun aimed right at his head. Percy felt himself get lifted onto the top of the boxcar.

"Lay down." Nico said, pushing the other man's body down.

When Percy looked back again the old man was trying to catch up to get close enough to shoot them, but luckily the train was faster and soon he became a speck of color in the dry yellow landscape.

"And here I thought we only had monsters to worry about." Nico said, sitting up, "Are you hurt?"

Percy sat up and looked at his sneaker, where a small mark was on the heel, "I think I'll survive. You?"

"I'm fine. We're dirty trespassers now. He's probably calling the cops on us."

"Let him." Percy said, not worried at all, "So what now?"

Nico laid back, "We'll need to get off before the train stops. Hitching a ride is still illegal."

"Oh good, I was wanting ankle surgery." Percy said dryly.

Dark eyes looked around, "I might be able to shadow travel, but we'll have to be between cars and at just the right angle to have enough darkness in there. It'll help if we wait for it to get a little darker."

"I feel like this adventure has a lot of waiting." Percy said, and when Nico looked at him he almost didn't know what to do. He hadn't gotten a look like that in a long time. Before he could think too hard about it, Nico's mouth was on his and small pale hands were clutching at his shirt, reaching down between his legs. The smaller man moved to straddle Percy's waist, nearly falling off when the train made an unexpected jolt. He undid Percy's jeans and pulled him out. Percy couldn't believe that this was happening, especially on top of a train, but he was not about to stop it. He returned the favor of taking Nico out of his pants and the smaller man kissed him hard before grinding their hips together, using his hands to increase the friction. Percy followed the other man's example and dark eyes rolled in pleasure. Percy had to smile. He'd forgotten how fun it was to play with his boyfriend. Nico was holding onto him for dear life with his free hand and Percy could feel his breath on his neck. He thought he could hear Nico saying his name, but he wasn't sure. Soon Nico shuddered against him, his nails digging into Percy's shoulders as he gasped Percy's name loud enough for Percy not to question whether he'd heard it or not. Hearing the smaller man say his name like that sent Percy over the edge and he pulled Nico even closer. They stayed that way for a while, just holding each other. Percy didn't want it to end, but all too soon Nico pulled away and looked at him. They kissed again and Nico made to move off, but then stopped himself and just kept staring at the other man.

"What?" Percy asked nervously.

"Did you grab our bags?" Nico asked, zipping Percy's pants up.

Percy thought for a moment, "Shit."

Nico finished zipping his own pants up and pulled on the hem of his shirt, which was quite obviously soaked. He wasn't sure why he had done that with Percy. Something about being on an adventure again and the two working together and then just the way Percy looked... he couldn't help himself.

"I still have the map..." Percy said, his cheeks lightly pinked, "If that helps."

The smaller man left Percy's lap and started searching his pockets, cursing under his breath. Sea green eyes watched him with curiosity, closing when they watched Nico pull out a cigarette and a lighter.

"Hallefuckinlujah." Nico said, sparking up without so much as a second thought. How quickly he had forgotten the bliss of a post-orgasm smoke. He laid down on the train car and breathed little puffs of smoke into the air, wanting to tell Percy 'Look, I'm a train.' but that was when he realized what he was doing. He looked over at Percy, who was staring at the map. A chill swept over Nico as the breeze hit his wet shirt. He looked at the half finished cigarette, debating on just going ahead and finishing. With a sigh he sat up and took one last drag before crushing the cigarette and then flicking it over the side of the train car.

"I think we should get off. The train is slowing down." Percy said, not looking up from the map.

"Do you want me to try to shadow us?" Nico asked, not looking at his boyfriend. He looked up at the sky. The sun was just starting to set.

"Please."

The two men carefully made their way to one end of the boxcar and looked down. Barely dark enough for Nico to shadow through, but he could make it work. He was terrified of what would happen if it didn't. He carefully made his way down the rungs attached to the train car and then even more carefully managed to get to the other boxcar, leaving Percy room to climb down.

"It's just as well that we lost our backpacks. We couldn't do this with them." He said, trying to concentrate on a vague idea of a roller rink. He'd come to realize that he really wasn't in control of their travels, and even though it scared him, it made it easier to just let whatever was going to happen just happen. He held Percy's hand, knowing that there was no way to get closer at the moment. He could tell that Percy was scared too, but he wasn't about to show it.

'SKATE SKATE SKATE' 'TUESDAY DATE NIGHT TWO FOR ONE!' 'CONTACT US FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY' Percy read the signs as they crept from a corner of the old roller rink to the front of the building.

"Have you ever skated Nico?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, but that was decades ago." Nico said and was about to walk in when Percy stopped him.

"Um..." Percy gestured to their shirts, which were now crusted.

"I totally forgot." Nico laughed, catching a somewhat dismayed look on Percy's face, "Do you think they won't notice before we get to a bathroom?"

"What's plan B?"

"Walk in shirtless."

"Well I guess there's not a whole lot of choice, is there?" Percy said before walking in.

Flourescent lighting. Of course.

"How many?" the young woman at the counter asked.

"Two." Nico said, squinting to see if Mist was involved in any way.

"Do you need to rent skates?" the woman asked, mimicking Nico's squint.

"Yes." Percy answered.

The woman eyed the two men with their dirty shirts, "Meeting someone?" she asked as the tickets printed off.

"Possibly." Nico said, ripping the tickets from the dispenser, "Thanks bye." he said, quickly entering the darker area of the roller rink. He looked around for a bathroom, grabbing Percy's hand when he found it. They made their way over, being very cautious, knowing that this was the next challenge from the map.

"Wow, we look like caca." Nico said, looking at their reflection in the mirror. His hair was wild with curls from sweat and the dip in the aquarium. Their faces were dirty from the train ride and thankfully their shirts looked more filthy than just sexed up. Percy was going to reply when Nico stripped off his shirt, putting it under the running water and also washing his face and attempting to tame his hair. Percy was nervous about someone catching them, but he too stripped off his shirt and put it under the water. The water calmed him as it ran over his hands and forearms. He heard Nico shaking his shirt and cursing.

"I forgot that we'll look even more strange walking around with wet shirts."

"Maybe we'll start a trend." Percy said helpfully, pulling his shirt from the sink. Nico just gave a half smile and held his shirt under the hand dryer. The door was pushed open and both men looked up.

"Come on you guys, my favorite song is on." a younger man with brown curly hair said, speaking as if he had known the two men for years. He grabbed their arms and pulled them out of the bathroom with the kind of strength he shouldn't have. When the two men were out of the bathroom they noticed that their shirts were completely dry and put them on. The boy pulled them to a bench and presented them with roller skates. Nico's were black with a little skull and crossbone pattern on them. Percy's were blue with waves stretching from the heel. The two men looked at each other. The challenge had begun. When they looked up the boy was gone. They made their way to the rink and watched the crowd going around and around to some top ten hit. Without warning someone pushed them forward and the two men fell onto the rink floor. Nico looked up and saw the boy grinning at them.

"Nico, get up!" Percy said urgently, pulling at the smaller man's arm. Nico looked just in time to see the crowd of people coming at them. He tried to run, forgetting that he had skates on and fell forward. He felt Percy lift him again.

"Have you ever worn skates?" Percy asked, facing Nico and taking his hands, beginning to skate backward. People passed them with a few glances, but so far nobody was attacking.

Nico scowled, "I told you I have. It's just been a really long time."

"Will you be okay if I let go?"

The other man blushed. He hated feeling weak in any way. He nodded even though he really wasn't sure. Percy let go and turned back around, keeping a slow pace as the other man started moving on his own. Slowly he started to get the hang of it and he smiled at Percy.

"Why are you so good at this?" Nico asked as they rounded the first corner.

"I'm actually better with rollerblades, but when I was growing up skating was the shit."

"The what?"

"It was the cool thing to do. I went to a lot of birthday parties with skating. I was only ever invited because the whole class got invitations, but I liked it. I didn't mind skating on my own."

A slow song started and Percy took Nico's hand, "I always wanted to do this."

Nico looked around, wondering when the monsters were going to get them, when he noticed that many of the other people were holding hands during the song. Speakers overhead announced, "Couple skate time. Grab a partner." over the music. 'Too late' Nico thought. The two men picked up speed as they became comfortable on the skates, going round and round together to the song. When the song ended Nico let go of Percy's hand. The other man didn't say anything. They continued going around and around, wondering what the point was of all of this. A few songs later was another couple's song and they joined hands again. They parted when the song was over and continued skating around and around. Nico's heart speed was getting a little uncomfortable, but he didn't want to tell Percy and get a lecture on the horrible effects of smoking. He slowed a little and let Percy go ahead of him, moving to the side of the rink to catch his breath. He was stopped about six inches from the edge of the rink. It was like an invisible force was keeping him from exiting. Before he could panic a child whizzed by and clipped Nico's skate, sending him to the floor. Another skater rolled over his hand as if it weren't even there. The skater didn't even look up as he skated by. He saw Percy pass him and called out to him, but the Sea Prince didn't hear him.

Nico managed to get up and started skating toward Percy. The crowd on the rink floor seemed thicker now. Nico couldn't get through to catch Percy. Another slow song came on and the crowd thinned as they partnered up. Nico had nearly caught up to Percy when he watched in horror as his boyfriend took the hand of someone in a suit. Who wears a suit to the skating rink? Nico wondered, ignoring the burn of jealousy in his stomach. He tried to speed up, but it seemed the harder he tried the slower he went. He was starting to feel like he was skating through honey. Percy and the man had gotten off of the rink just fine, and Nico saw them meet up with another young man, who Percy hugged in recognition. Nico rounded the rink to see them again, all the while trying to leave, but unable to. It was like he was stuck in a thick river. He was determined to save himself. He was not weak, he was not the victim. He would win, and he would do it without help.

Meanwhile Percy was laughing at a table with his two ex boyfriends. Daniel, the lawyer, was telling a story while Ethan, the dreamer laughed with Percy and ate a slice of pizza. Daniel asked to taste Percy's soda and offered to swap his own. Percy nodded and switched, though he couldn't remember even buying a soda. He also wondered why his ex-boyfriends were hanging out together, but it was kind of nice to see them again. Daniel was sure of himself in a refreshing way. Percy didn't have to worry about who was in charge or being sure to pay the lawyer compliments to keep his ego up. Ethan had a carefree way about him that made Percy feel that even though things were bad, it didn't matter. He just had to chill out and things would happen the way they should. The way that Daniel kept his hand on the back of Ethan's neck made Percy wonder if they were together. That would be weird.

"Come on Percy, we have something to show you." Daniel said, standing up. Percy put the soda down and followed the two men past the rock climbing wall and the jungle gym and into a birthday room. They all sat in the corner on some beanbag chairs. "So how have things been since we lost the case?" the lawyer asked, absent-mindedly running his fingers through Ethan's black locks while the other man took Percy's skates off.

"They've been pretty good." Percy said, not really able to remember anything about his life just then.

"All people do is talk." Ethan sighed, "I want to have some fun." he said before crawling onto Daniel's lap and kissing him. After he had finished with the lawyer he moved over to Percy's beanbag, running his hands up Percy's thighs, "I liked it when we had fun." he said and then kissed Percy. The Sea Prince pushed him away. Something didn't feel right. Ethan's black hair and black band shirt reminded him of something, of someone, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He just knew that something wasn't right.

"Here, have a treat." Daniel said, eyeing Percy warily and handing him a small pink cookie. Percy shoved it in his mouth without thinking, but the familiar taste brought some memories back for just a moment before they were washed away. He was starting to feel good, and even though he couldn't remember anything about his life, he knew that he hadn't felt relaxed like this in a long time. The way Ethan was rubbing his shoulders made him feel wanted and taken care of. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Let's lay down." Daniel said, moving the bean bags to reveal a soft blanket on the floor. Percy fell face first onto the blanket, loving the way the soft fabric felt on his skin. It was soft and cool, sensations he hadn't felt for a while. He also felt Ethan's small warm hands carressing his back. Papers showered down on them and sea green eyes scanned over them. He didn't like these papers. They were the subpoenas and transcripts from his trials in court. He made a face and Daniel picked them all up. He watched as the lawyer ripped them up and the pieces fell upward, dissolving into sparkles. The young lawyer then knelt on the other side of Percy and rubbed his back, his strong hands joining Ethan's softer ones.

Nico finally managed to break from from the crowd. He had tripped on some little kid on a tricycle and rolled to the center of the rink. There he ripped his skates off and threw them into the crowd in frustration. Nobody tripped on them, which confused Nico. Instead there was a gap in the endlessly rotating parade. It was just wide enough for Nico to jump through. He waited for the space to come around again, hoping his timing was right. He leapt through. He made it out of the rink, but stumbled on the edge and felt arms pulling him backward. Not even looking at them he pushed forward until he was free from the rink and the arms grabbing at him. He looked around for Percy and found no sign of him.

"Percy!" the Ghost King called. He couldn't see his boyfriend anywhere. His eyes found the curly haired boy playing on the jungle gym and he crossed the arcade area to get to him. The boy was too quick and was gone by the time Nico had gotten there. Dark eyes caught a glimpse of something down the hallway where the party rooms were. Nico walked over and picked a door.

"...wife and two kids and I work in a button factory..." a man at the other end of the room was saying. Nico saw that this appeared to be some sort of exercise class. Did skating rinks normally have exercise classes? A woman in yoga pants came up to the smaller man and led him to a mat. He stood on the mat and watched as everyone mimicked what the man was doing.

"Okay, ready? Let's turn this up!" the flamboyant man said before starting to sing song, "Hi. My name is Joe. I have a wife and three kids and I work in a button factory-" he started, turning his left wrist and his right wrist, Nico followed along with the others, "One day, my boss came to me and said, 'Joe, are you busy?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Push this button with your right foot.'" The man began tapping his right foot while continuing to turn his wrists. Nico followed along. He understood this game. He had played something similar when he was a child. The man continued.

"Hi. My name is Joe. I have a wife and four kids and I work in a button factory..."

The game continued, adding the left foot, right knee, left knee, right elbow, left elbow. When it got to the nose Nico felt ridiculous. The game had to end soon, right? He tried to look around at the others, but he couldn't change his movements. He was stuck poking his nose out and flailing around like an idiot!

"Hi. My name is Joe. I have a wife and eleven kids and I work in a button factory..."

Now Nico was pissed. He was sticking out his tongue, poking out his nose, moving his elbows, knees, hands, and feet. How much longer could this game go on?

"Hi. My name is Joe. I have a wife and twelve kids and I work in a button factory. One day, my boss came to me and said, 'Joe, are you busy?'-"

Nico knew it was coming before it happened. He remembered this part of the game.

"-I said, 'YES!'"

Chaos broke out. The men and women lunged at each other, throwing elbows, pushing people down. Nico was defending himself against the woman who had led him to the mat. A sharp clap was heard and everyone stopped. They all went back to their mats and stood still.

The man was in a different outfit, but he began again, "Hi. My name is Joe. I have a wife and one kid and I work in a button factory..."

Nico didn't move. He looked at the door, wondering if he could escape. Everyone was staring straight ahead, following the man's movements. Nico observed the people. He now saw men in suits and women in dresses. There was a woman with a diaper bag next to her. There was a man with a rifle on his back. Nico carefully slipped past them, creeped out by the way they didn't even glance in his direction. As he opened the door he braced himself for attack, but none came. He closed the door behind him, still wary that something might happen. He chose another door.

It was pitch black inside. Nico could sense things moving above him. He could also sense something in front of him.

"You're adorable even when I can't see you, you know that?" Percy's voice made Nico jump. The Ghost King stayed quiet. He was smart enough to know that Percy wasn't really there. He could hear shuffling noises and barely make out the sound of breathing.

"I love you. And that's really scary to me." Nico heard his own voice say.

"I love you. I don't want us to fight anymore." Percy's voice said in the darkness.

Nico remembered this night and his heart sank as the conversation continued.

"But we're going to."

"Yeah, but I hope you don't run away anymore."

Nico mouthed the words he remembered speaking that night as they sounded through the darkness.

"I won't. I promise."

He heard the sound of kissing and he knew what happened next. He knew the sound he made as Percy entered him.

"You okay?" Percy whispered, voice full of love and concern.

"Yeah. It's...good."

Nico felt for the door and left the room, Feeling like a voyeur in his own memory. Out of curiosity he opened the door again and was greeted with flourescent lighting and a party table. He closed the door again, replaying the conversation. He was such a liar. He ran away all the time. Even worse, he had broken his promise to the man. He really was a terrible boyfriend. He sighed. Now was not the time for a pity party. He had to find Percy. He opened another door. This time he saw himself puking on the ground. Right next to that was another Nico making an O face and ejaculating as an invisible person brought him to orgasm. Though that one made him blush, Nico's least favorite was the one right in front of him. That Nico's throat was being slashed and his stomach was ripping open, spilling a fountain of blood at his feet. The Nicos performed over and over again like gifs. Nico's eye caught less unpleasant ones as he looked around the room. There was a Nico who was smiling and laughing. Even the Nico crying didn't disturb him, even though he realized he was an ugly cryer. Were these supposed to be his emotions? If they were, he could tell that some were missing. Realizing that Percy was not in this room he left it and closed the door behind him. He approached the next door, half wondering if he had opened it already. He should have kept the other doors open so that he wouldn't get confused. He opened it anyway.

"Oh my God, these lemon brownies are fucking amazing!" A small pale man with black hair was saying.

"Told ya." Percy said across the table from him.

"Where did these come from again?" A man in a suit asked as he shoved another one in his face.

"Percy."

Three pairs of eyes turned to the pale man in the doorway. Percy smiled and walked over to his boyfriend, giving him a kiss. Nico could taste the lemon on his lips.

"Who are these guys?" Nico asked.

"I'm Daniel, the lawyer who fucked Percy over a desk. Twice." The man in the suit said.

"And I'm Ethan. I guess I just got Percy stoned a lot and made him forget about the real world." The small pale man shrugged.

Nico blinked, "Really? You just say it like that?"

"Would you rather we lied to you?" Ethan asked, putting another brownie in his mouth.

"No..."

"Maybe just a half truth or an omission, then?" Daniel asked, pushing the plate toward Nico.

"What did you put in them?"

"We didn't put anything in them." Daniel said, and Nico somehow knew it was the truth, but he also had a feeling that someone did. "Try one. They'll help you tell your secrets."

Nico crossed his arms, "Then they wouldn't be secrets anymore."

"What are you afraid of someone finding out?" Ethan asked, standing up, "Why are you so terrified of someone knowing you?"

The Ghost King's lips tingled where Percy had kissed them and he could feel words pressing behind them, but he swallowed. Instead he went for a roundabout approach.

"To know me is to kill me."

"Too late for that." It was the first time Percy had spoken. The lovers looked at each other and Nico felt his hands get sweaty.

"I honestly don't have an answer." he said quietly.

"Eat one of these and think about it." Percy grabbed the plate of yellow treats. Nico could smell them in front of his face.

"Please don't make me do this." Nico pleaded, "Not in front of them."

"Would you do it even if we were alone?" Percy asked, also using a quieter voice.

"Have you ever asked me?"

"I ask you to tell me things all the time."

"No. You tell me to. I understand why you want to know, but sometimes I just wish you would ask me instead of tell me."

"That's a stupid reason."

"See? I actually open up and you tell me I'm stupid. Why would I even bother?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you stupid." Percy put the plate of treats down.

"I promise we'll talk sometime and I'll tell you everything." Nico said.

"I've heard that one before."

"Please trust me. Just... let's get out of here." Nico said, looking at the other two men, who were watching the exchange intently.

He was slightly surprised when Percy didn't protest. He was equally surprised when they left the room without a problem. The Ghost King was getting confused with the lack of fighting they were doing.

"What were you doing in there?" Nico asked.

"They tried to be all seductive, but I just fell asleep. When I woke up we ended up just talking and those brownies appeared and it was actually just a good time. What about you?"

Nico didn't really want to tell Percy, especially about the room that had echoed their conversation in the darkness, but he wanted to prove to Percy that he could be open and honest, so he relayed the story.

"What do you think it all meant?" Percy asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm just kind of disturbed by it." They walked out of the roller rink and Nico realized something, "Hey Percy, where are our shoes?"

"Probably still under the bench. I'll go grab them." When Percy went to open the door he found that it was locked. It was then that Nico realized that it was daytime again. He walked backward to get a better look at the roller rink as Percy continued fighting with the door.

"Hey Perce..."

Percy came to stand next to Nico and looked at the roller rink. The ticket window was boarded up and the signs were broken and faded. Grafitti spread across the cement beneath their feet and weeds sprouted from beneath the parking lot. This place hadn't been open in a long time.

"Bloody magic." Nico grumbled, "Always fucking with us."

"So... does this mean we don't have backpacks or shoes now?"

The smaller man saw the worried look in Percy's face and pulled him into his arms, "We'll be okay. I'm sure it's all part of the plan. Plus, look what I still have." he pulled out the map.

"What's next?" Percy asked, looking at the map.

"Just looks like a big building."

Percy looked at the image that had just appeared, "Could it be a hotel?"

"I'm not going back to the Lotus Hotel." Nico said quickly and defensively.

"I don't think that's what it is." The two men thought for a while. Percy looked up into the sky, wondering what time it was. He didn't bother wondering what day. As his eyes scanned the skies his eyes caught a billboard.

Comic Con.

The date felt like it was probably going on right now, though again Percy didn't know what day it was.

"You've got to be kidding me." Nico said when he saw what Percy was looking at.

"Have you ever been to one?"

Nico laughed and sea green eyes looked at him, "Percy, I never wanted you to know just how big of a nerd I am, but yes. I've been to one or two... or four."

"Thank you for telling me the truth." Percy said and Nico looked away.

"Anyway, I suppose we should be headed to that city. Now that I think about it, the thingy on the map is probably a convention center."

"We don't have shoes."

Nico took the money out of his pockets. There wasn't a whole lot left. Would they have to buy tickets to the convention? Did they have to be in costume? What about sleep? They definitely didn't have enough money for a hotel. Nico twisted one of his rings off of his finger.

"Nico, no."

"It's all we have, Percy."

"But-"

"I'm a jeweler. I can make another amethyst ring."

Percy frowned. He knew how important Nico's rings were to him, "Okay."

They found a pawn shop not too far away from the roller rink. The man eyed the shoeless men suspiciously, but upon seeing the quality of the ring he decided that he didn't really care what kind of men he was dealing with. Upon receiving the money Nico counted it. He sighed and looked at Percy before removing another of his rings. This one had a garnet in it. The man smiled a greedy smile and handed Nico some more cash after he took the ring.

"Your rings were worth a lot more than that." Percy pouted when they left the shop.

"Maybe to other people. Percy, they were just things."

"But they were your things."

Nico studied Percy. He couldn't understand why the other man was so upset about the rings. It wasn't like Percy had given them to him. He didn't feel like asking because he wasn't in the mood for drama, but something told him that it was now or never.

"Why are you so upset, Percy?"

Percy made a face as though he weren't expecting the question, and as if he hadn't realized that he was acting upset. He acted as though he were going to say something, but then he stopped himself, then he tried again. Nico wanted to point out that he wasn't the only one bad at saying how he felt, but he knew better.

"You'll just think it's stupid. It is stupid."

Nico put his hand on Percy's arm, "Please?"

Percy sighed. What better way to encourage Nico to open up than to lead by example? He felt his skin heat up. "It's just that... You so easily gave up things that are special to you, that you've had for years, it just kind of made me wonder about me."

The smaller man hadn't expected that. He agreed that it was a ridiculous thought, but he could see that the question genuinely bothered his lover. Worse was that the simple question opened up a big bag of secrets Nico had kept. To comfort Percy he would have to tell one, but that might make things worse.

"You really think I could leave you so easily?" Nico asked quietly.

"You already have. I think that's what's really bothering me."

Nico looked away. He had just sold the rings so that he could buy his boyfriend some shoes. He didn't know it was going to turn into all this drama.

"I haven't gone anywhere since we got back together." he weakly offered.

"Feels like it. You still shut me out. Sometimes when we're in the same room is when I feel the most alone."

Despite Percy's words, Nico felt himself shutting down anyway. He wasn't sure that he could feel things even if he wanted to just then. He knew that Percy knew what he was thinking, but the Sea Prince wasn't going to beg him to open up. Nico could feel it in his chest, in his throat, but that's where it died. He started curling and uncurling his fist, trying to calm down. He hated the piteous look Percy gave him.

Percy pulled Nico into a hug, "I wish you could talk to me." he said in a defeated tone.

"Me too." Nico said, and he meant it. It scared him that he couldn't say anything to Percy in that moment. It was like the story of the Pleases. A little boy never said please, so his Please left to get some fresh air, but then when the boy wanted to say it he found that he couldn't. The Please didn't exist for him anymore, even if he wished it would. A shiver went through Nico. What if he was totally incapable of telling Percy anything? It was those moments when he was glad Percy seemed to know what he needed. He couldn't say a damn word, but his body had been screaming for Percy to hold him. He wished they had more moments like this. He also wished he had a cigarette.

That selfish thought seemed to break whatever moment the two men were having and Nico pulled away. Percy protested and held Nico tighter. The smaller man's instinct was to stiffen, and he hated that. He forced himself to relax and let Percy keep holding him. After a moment the taller man finally let go.

"Come on Percy, let's go buy some shoes." Nico said, gently touching his boyfriend on the back of his shoulder.

x.x.x

I took a lot of liberties with this chapter, but I figured it's my story, so that's allowed. Thanks for reading and I hope you like it.


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